Gary Lineker reveals ‘for the money’ transfer joke from Mohamed Salah as Liverpool superstar sees contract run down amid Saudi Pro League rumours

The Egyptian forward continues to see his contract at Anfield run down. With there no indication that fresh terms will be agreed, Salah is due to hit free agency this summer. If he does walk away from Merseyside, then there will be no shortage of takers for his signature.

A switch to the Middle East has been speculated on for some time, with a hugely lucrative contract being readied in that part of the world. Salah will be giving careful consideration to all of his options, having also seen an extended stay in Europe mooted.

Ex-England international Lineker recently ran into Salah during a visit to Liverpool’s training ground. He has told The Rest Is Football podcast of their playful interaction: “He's a lovely guy. I spent 10 minutes with him when I went to visit Arne Slot.”

Pressed by Alan Shearer on whether he got any inside gossip on Salah’s future plans, Lineker added: “I didn't, no. He was just being funny. He asked me, 'how old were you when you finished?' And I said, 'well, English football I finished when I was 32 and then I went to play in Japan for a couple of years'.

“And he went, 'ahh, you went for the money did you?' And I said, 'well yeah I suppose so'. And he went, 'Yeah, I might do the same'. He winked at the press guy that was there. It was just a joke. But he has got that cheeky sense of humour.”

Salah joined Liverpool in 2017. Over the course of 382 appearances, he has hit 236 goals. He has savoured Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup successes, with more medals being chased down on multiple fronts in 2025.