🚨 UPDATE, June 2026: Mo Salah confirmed on 24 March 2026 that he would leave Liverpool at the end of the 2025-26 season, with the club officially announcing that both parties had reached an agreement to end his nine-year stay at Anfield. He played his final game for the club against Brentford on the last day of the Premier League season. His next club had not been announced as of early June 2026, with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, MLS and a return to Italian football all under consideration. Read on for the full story of how the breakdown began, the December 2025 transfer odds, and what comes next.
The saga that ended Mo Salah’s time at Liverpool started on a Saturday afternoon in December 2025, when one of the club’s greatest ever players sat in front of the television cameras after a 3-3 draw at Leeds United and told the world he felt the club had thrown him under the bus. It was one of the most extraordinary post-match interviews in recent Premier League history, and the betting markets reacted within hours.
Salah, who had not started a match since the 4-1 Champions League defeat to PSV on 26 November and was an unused substitute at Elland Road, openly questioned his future and suggested someone within the club had decided he was to blame for Liverpool’s poor form. Saudi Arabia was installed as 8/13 favourite to be his next destination before the evening was out, and the market never really recovered its confidence in him staying.
The December 2025 Transfer Odds
Odds correct at time of original publication, 7 December 2025.
| Potential Destination | Odds | Implied Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Any Saudi Arabian team | 8/13 | 61.9% |
| Stays at Liverpool / no other club | 13/10 | 43.5% |
| Galatasaray | 9/1 | 10.0% |
| Any MLS team | 12/1 | 7.7% |
| Bayern Munich | 14/1 | 6.7% |
| PSG | 18/1 | 5.3% |
| Barcelona | 20/1 | 4.8% |
| Real Madrid | 22/1 | 4.3% |
| Arsenal | 33/1 | 2.9% |
| Manchester United | 50/1 | 1.9% |
What Salah Said and Why It Mattered
Salah’s comments at Leeds were notable not just for their content but for the fact he chose to make them publicly rather than through his representatives. He told journalists he believed someone at the club had deliberately sought to make him the scapegoat for Liverpool’s poor domestic run, a sequence that had seen them win only two of their previous eleven league matches. He said his relationship with Arne Slot had collapsed without explanation, and that he felt someone at Anfield did not want him there any more.
The 33-year-old had scored 250 goals in 420 appearances for Liverpool at that point, making him the third-highest scorer in the club’s history. He had won two Premier League titles, the Champions League, the FA Cup, the League Cup, the Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup during his nine years on Merseyside. The idea that a player of that stature was being frozen out and effectively blamed for a poor team run was the kind of story that moves markets fast, and Saudi Arabia’s implied probability of more than 60 per cent at 8/13 reflected a genuine belief that the relationship was irreparably damaged.
Adding context to the December incident was the detail that Salah walked to the travelling Liverpool supporters at the final whistle and appeared to wave them goodbye. He mentioned in the interview that he planned to attend the Brighton game to say farewell before joining Egypt’s Africa Cup of Nations squad, and said he did not know what was going to happen when he returned. It read, to many, like someone preparing to leave.
How the January Window Played Out
Salah did not leave in January 2026. He attended the Brighton match, joined Egypt for AFCON and returned to Merseyside for the second half of the season. Reports indicated he apologised to team-mates, made some degree of peace with Slot, and resumed playing. He was no longer a guaranteed starter, with Slot having moved to a system that did not rely heavily on natural wide forwards, and his role for the remainder of the season was reduced compared to previous years.
The winter window result came as a surprise given the strength of the pre-window odds, but it was always clear that Salah’s contract ran until 2027 and any January move would require Liverpool’s agreement on a settlement. With the club still in the Champions League and fighting for domestic silverware, allowing their record scorer to leave mid-season was never likely unless he pushed forcefully for an immediate exit.
The March 2026 Announcement
The definitive moment came on 24 March 2026, when Liverpool officially confirmed that Salah would leave at the end of the season. The announcement came despite Salah having signed a two-year contract extension in April 2025, which had been presented as a major signal of continuity under Slot at the time. The club stated that Salah had reached an agreement with them and had expressed his wish to make the announcement to supporters at the earliest opportunity out of respect and gratitude.
Salah posted a personal video message on Instagram in front of his trophy collection, telling fans the day had come and that he had never imagined how deeply Liverpool, the city and the people would become part of his life. He said Liverpool was not just a football club but a passion, a history and a spirit.
The departure came as a free transfer despite a year remaining on his contract, with Liverpool and Salah agreeing to terminate the deal early. His salary at the club had reportedly reached in excess of £480,000 per week following the 2025 extension, making the wage bill saving a significant factor in the club’s decision to allow him to leave. Liverpool finished his career record at 255 goals in 435 appearances, placing him third on the club’s all-time scoring list behind Roger Hunt and Ian Rush.
Where Could Salah Go Next?
As of early June 2026, Salah’s next club had not been confirmed. Several destinations remained in active discussion according to reports from multiple credible sources, with the market genuinely open for the first time in years.
Saudi Arabia remains the most discussed option, with Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad both linked. Senior figures within the Saudi Pro League told The Telegraph they were absolutely convinced Salah would come to the league, describing him as a symbol of their long-term project and the face of their future ambitions. Fabrizio Romano reported that Saudi clubs saw Salah in that promotional role both now and in the context of the 2034 World Cup, which Saudi Arabia will host. Al-Ittihad had previously bid £150 million for Salah in 2023 only to be rejected by Liverpool, making them a natural candidate to revisit their interest.
Turkey has emerged as a surprise frontrunner in the betting, with Oddschecker showing one bookmaker pricing any Turkish club at 2/1, the shortest odds in the market at the time of reporting. Fenerbahce have been specifically linked, and the combination of competitive European football and a high-profile domestic league has genuine appeal for a player who may prefer to continue testing himself at a reasonable level rather than move to a league viewed purely as a financial destination.
MLS is also firmly in the conversation. Reports in British media described the United States as the most attractive choice from a lifestyle perspective, and the league has demonstrated considerable pulling power recently with Antoine Griezmann signing for Orlando City and the continued presence of Lionel Messi at Inter Miami. Salah’s commercial appeal and global profile would make him one of the biggest signings in MLS history.
A return to Italy has been floated, with AS Roma and AC Milan both mentioned in reports. Salah played for Roma and Fiorentina before joining Liverpool and retains an affection for Italian football. However, his wage demands and the financial limitations of Serie A clubs make this the least financially straightforward option among the main candidates.
Salah’s Legacy at Liverpool
Whatever comes next, Salah’s nine years at Anfield represent one of the most productive individual careers in Premier League history. He scored 255 club goals for Liverpool, won every major trophy available in European and domestic football, and was named FWA Player of the Year. He holds the Premier League single-season scoring record jointly with his own tally of 32 goals from 2017-18. His 82 international goals for Egypt make him the country’s all-time leading scorer by a significant margin.
The manner of his exit, with a public breakdown followed by a contractual amendment that resulted in him leaving a year early despite signing an extension only 11 months before his announcement, was not the farewell anyone had imagined. But the depth of feeling from Liverpool supporters when he played his final game against Brentford, and the tributes that followed from across the football world, reflected what the club and the player had meant to each other over the best part of a decade.
For more on how Liverpool’s managerial picture looks heading into the summer, see our Next Liverpool Manager odds and the Next Premier League Manager to Be Sacked tracker.
All odds correct at time of original publication, December 2025. Please gamble responsibly. For help with problem gambling visit GambleAware.org. 18+.
