Will Mohamed Salah follow Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? MLS transfer claim amid Saudi Pro League links

Salah is working on a contract at Anfield through to 2027, having agreed a lucrative extension to his terms on Merseyside. Questions have, however, been asked of his future ever since an explosive outburst was aimed in the direction of Premier League heavyweights.

The 33-year-old forward did not take kindly to being benched by Arne Slot, with the Egyptian superstar accusing Liverpool of throwing him under the bus as they stumbled out of the blocks in a testing title defence.

He has been back in favour since returning from Africa Cup of Nations duty, but has failed to score a Premier League goal since November 1 and has just seven efforts to his name this season - having been a prolific presence across his eight-and-a-half years in English football.

Liverpool may decide to cash in while still being in a position to demand a fee for Salah, with big-spending teams in Saudi Arabia said to have had contract offers on the table for some time. They remain part of the transfer picture.

Romano admits as much, telling his YouTube channel: “Clubs from Saudi Arabia will be back for Mohamed Salah in the summer transfer window. They’re going to be back in conversations. Al-Ittihad could be one of them.

“Of course, they lose a superstar like Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante. Obviously, not a striker, but still a superstar, still a world-class player in the final hours of the January transfer window.

“And they didn’t have time to replace them with absolute superstars, of course, with very good players, including also Youssef En-Nesyri for sure from Fenerbahce, but they need probably a big name, and so Mohamed Salah could be a part of the conversation in the summer.”

While opportunities to head to the Middle East will be put to Salah, Romano says teams in North America are also prepared to enter into talks - with the likes of Messi and Heung-min Son already plying their respective trades in the States.

Romano added: “I’m told that there could be more Saudi clubs attentive and keen on Mohamed Salah. Let’s see also from the MLS if some club decided to enter the conversation and sign Mohamed Salah from Liverpool,” Romano added.

“I think it’s going to be an interesting summer around the Egyptian winger. In general, at the end, nothing materialised in terms of official proposals or concrete possibilities. So, Mohamed Salah ended up staying at Liverpool. But of course, in the summer, the story could be different.”

Former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore is of the opinion that Salah will be on the move this summer, telling GOAL recently: “For the remainder of the season he [Salah] will play, but for Liverpool to go on and be Arne Slot 2.0, one or both of him and [Virgil] van Dijk may well go in the summer.

“I know they signed longer, improved terms, but I almost think that was to see what the players like [Hugo] Ekitike, Isak, Wirtz were going to be like bedding in. It hasn’t been good at the moment, they need them for the remainder of the season, but I do think that if you are going to indulge Isak and Wirtz as the new top men at Liverpool, then the old top men have got to go.

“I think some of Mo’s mardiness has been around the fact that Isak and Wirtz come in and they get 6,000 tweets saying ‘welcome Wirtz, welcome Isak, you are the best thing since sliced bread’. I think he feels a little bit wounded and a little bit disrespected by that.

“The only answer is, can they all play together nicely or is the more likely option - and this is what I think - maybe Van Dijk stays one season longer, but I think Mo’s gone in the summertime, for sure.”

It may be that Al-Nassr join the race for Salah, as Portuguese GOAT Ronaldo has been generating exit talk in Riyadh. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has cut a frustrated figure of late, leading to him going on strike, and the 41-year-old has seen his own switch to MLS speculated on.