Sadio Mane Could Be Key to Mo Salah Moving to Saudi Arabia

Multiple clubs in Saudi Arabia are expected to pursue Mohamed Salah during the summer transfer window.

The Liverpool forward looks set to be one of the most in-demand world stars when Saudi chiefs launch their latest recruitment drive.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that Vinicius Junior will be offered a contract worth €1 billion to tempt him to Saudi Arabia from Real Madrid.

Salah’s long-term future at Anfield is unclear following a well-documented outburst late last year.

Speaking after being an unused substitute in a 3-3 draw with Leeds on December 6, Salah told reporters he had been “thrown under the bus” by the club and that he no longer had a relationship with Slot.

This came after Salah’s role was seemingly reduced from guaranteed starter to a squad player amid poor team form.

Shortly after his explosive comments, Salah took a break from club football to represent Egypt at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

He scored four goals in five matches at AFCON 2025, but his Egypt side lost to Senegal in the semi-finals as Salah tasted yet another loss against Sadio Mane. Three days later, Salah then extended his poor recent record in penalty shootouts as Egypt were beaten by Nigeria in the third-place play-off.

Salah is now back at Liverpool and he played the full 90 minutes in Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Marseille.

However, a 2026 exit remains a distinct possibility. It is understood that Saudi clubs have expressed interest in signing Salah during the current January transfer window, but received little encouragement.

Mo Salah more likely to move to Saudi Arabia in the summer

A deal in the summer appears much more likely, both in the case of Vinicius and Salah.

Not only will Real Madrid and Liverpool have longer to negotiate deals they are happy with, they will also have more time to find suitable replacements.

Saudi clubs will also have more room for manoeuvre in the summer.

Contrary to popular belief, top clubs in the Saudi Pro League do not have unlimited financial resources.

Saudi clubs may need to make space for Mo Salah’s mammoth wages

It is understood that Salah’s weekly wage in Saudi Arabia could be at least £1 million per week. But to facilitate that, the buying club may first need to make space on its wage bill.

That is why a summer move for Salah makes much more sense.

The three clubs most likely to sign Salah are Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr. All three of those clubs are owned by the Saudi Investment Fund.

Three of Al-Ittihad’s four highest-earning players — Fabinho, N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema — will be out of contract in June if they do not sign new deals. One or more of those players leaving would free up significant funds that could be used to form part of a tempting financial package for Salah.

It is a similar story at Al-Hilal, where Kalidou Koulibaly and Ruben Neves are now in the final six months of their contracts.

How Sadio Mane’s future could be the key to Mo Salah playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo

Meanwhile, Al-Nassr will be in a much stronger position to make a proposal to Liverpool and Salah once Mane has been removed from the wage bill.

Mane, who was previously a teammate of Salah at Liverpool for five seasons, is currently Al-Nassr’s second-highest earner, behind only Ronaldo.

The Senegal legend’s contract — said to be worth around £40 million per year — is up at the end of June and Salah might just be the ideal replacement.