The Mohamed Salah transfer saga begins! Saudi Pro League chief confirms interest in disgruntled Liverpool talisman

Salah made his unhappiness at Liverpool crystal clear when he spoke to reporters after being benched yet again for the trip to Leeds last time out in the Premier League. The club legend told reporters he felt he had been "thrown under the bus" by Liverpool and that he has been left "very, very disappointed" at being repeatedly overlooked by Slot. Salah's comments have drawn criticism from former defender Jamie Carragher, while manager Slot has admitted he does not know if the Egypt international will play for the club again. The Dutchman left Salah out of Liverpool's next game against Inter in the Champions League and there's no guarantee he will feature on Saturday against Brighton in the Premier League. Saturday's fixture represents Salah's last before he joins up with Egypt's Africa Cup of Nations squad for the 2026 tournament in Morocco.

The saga has already fuelled speculation that Salah could depart Merseyside and make a lucrative move to the Middle East. Mugharbel has reacted to such talk at the World Football Summit in Riyadh and admitted the Liverpool forward could be heading for Saudi Arabia. He said: "Mohamed Salah is welcome in the Saudi League, but it is the clubs that are responsible for negotiating with players. For sure Salah is one of them [a target]."

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Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad have already emerged as possible destinations for Salah, according to The Telegraph, with a source telling the newspaper they are confident the Egypt star can be tempted away from the Premier League. “We are absolutely convinced that Mo Salah will come to Saudi. No doubts about it. We don’t know if it will be January, in the next market, or next summer,” a senior figure said.

Superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane and N'Golo Kante have already been lured to the Saudi Pro League, and the hope is that Salah could be the next big name to make the switch.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was quizzed on Salah's future after the team's Champions League win over Inter but admits he does not know what will happen next. He told Sky Sports: "We all know what’s going on, but I think the outside world makes it what it is, bigger than ever. We just have to deal with the fact that we had a big game tonight, that everyone had to be ready for, and we have another big game at the weekend. Whatever happens, we’ll see. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Of course I spoke to him. [What I said is] none of anyone’s business. Of course. I’ve been with Mo for such a long time. He’s been a big part of my success that I’ve had at the club. He’s a big part of the club’s success, I’m a big part of his success. We’ve all been doing it together at Liverpool. The reality is that he’s going away on the weekend. Hopefully he has an amazing Africa Cup of Nations. In the meantime. I have no idea what will happen. [I hope he returns to play for Liverpool] 100%. But I’m not a decision-maker here. It’s a decision between the club and Mo. Whatever happens, we are friends. We’ve been through highs and lows. Let’s see. Let’s see what it brings."

The next chapter in the Salah saga is due to unfold on Saturday when Liverpool return to Premier League action against Brighton. All eyes will be on Slot's team sheet to see if he has handed Salah a recall to the starting XI in what will be the forward's final game before he is due to link up with Egypt's AFCON squad. If Salah finds himself on the bench once again, it will offer more hope to Saudi Pro League clubs that the 33-year-old's future lies away from Anfield.