Mohamed Salah future: If Liverpool legend doesn’t sign contract extension, where could he end up?

Where Mohamed Salah is playing his soccer next season is arguably the biggest topic of debate this January transfer window with the Egypt international still yet to agree terms on a potential contract extension with Liverpool. The 32-year-old has been in stunning form with 21 goals and 17 assists across all competitions for the Reds and the English Premier League leaders have tabled fresh terms which Salah has indicated — via multiple recent public declarations — fall short of his expectations.

Despite the gap between Arne Slot’s EPL and UEFA Champions League leaders at the negotiating table, the former Chelsea and AS Roma man has made it abundantly clear that remaining at Anfield is his undisputed first-choice option ahead of this coming summer. Salah’s form is such that there is already Ballon d’Or chatter and it is hard to see how that would not be the case in a non-international tournament year should Liverpool maintain their current Premier League and UCL pace.

With the Egyptian turning 33 this June, his age — regardless of his incredible current form — makes him a risky proposition for any club on a multiyear contract and that includes his current employers who are likely keener on a new one-year deal plus an option for a second. That is not thought to be enough for Salah who is looking for at least two guaranteed years either on Merseyside or at least somewhere that he can still compete at the top level of European soccer but even the former appears to be a distinct second choice for the Reds’ No. 11.

So, if a new Liverpool contract does not materialize, where exactly does that leave Salah?

Premier League

Despite having played for Chelsea before, it is difficult to imagine Salah playing the season of his career and then opting to go to another EPL side for a guaranteed multiyear deal. It is unlikely to be appealing to the man from Nagrig who has laid down strong roots in Liverpool and is looking to give the final few years of his best form to the English giants before the inevitable physical decline which some would argue could become obvious as soon as next term.

La Liga

One obvious alternative to Liverpool and the Premier League would usually have automatically been Barcelona or Real Madrid but the Catalan giants are in total financial upheaval to the point that they cannot even register last summer’s star signing Dani Olmo. Even if Barca would like to make a play for the Egyptian, they cannot and Real already have Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo to satisfy as well as Endrick on the bench which means that Salah makes no sense. With Atletico Madrid having spent big on Julian Alvarez, there is no obvious landing spot within the big three’s salary caps for such a splash.

Serie A

Italy used to be somewhere for top players to go and enjoy the last few drops of their career at the top despite being slightly older than in other European leagues. However, that is no longer the case with the likes of Juventus, Milan and Inter all moving towards younger projects which would rule out gambling on an aging attacker like Salah. Serie A is a league that he knows from his Roma days but it is hard to imagine any Italian side being capable of meeting his post-Liverpool wage demands. Also, the last time that such a comparable name went to Italy it was Cristiano Ronaldo post-Real Madrid and it did not work out as planned.

Bundesliga

Another possible landing spot that also appears to prohibit itself from possible contention is Germany’s Bundesliga. Generally speaking, unless a Borussia Dortmund or Bayer Leverkusen were willing to blow up their wage bill, it is probably only Bayern Munich who could realistically make a play for Salah. However, there are also multiple reasons why they would not with Harry Kane’s presence in Bavaria primary among them. Also, when you recall the last time that a star striker left Liverpool and chose Munich as his destination, it barely lasted a year for Sadio Mane in Germany.

Ligue 1

Now, even just a few years ago, Paris might well have been the obvious answer to this question. The French champions had assembled a star-studded attack boasting Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar but that has since been disbanded with the superstar trio all having left Parc des Princes. The legendary Argentine is now in Major League Soccer but spent two seasons in the French capital between 2021-23 having joined as a free agent from Barcelona at an age roughly equivalent to what Salah’s will be when his current deal expires. That is where the proposal starts to get complicated, though, with PSG’s project now focused on French talent, domestically sourced and from the Paris region — if possible. Even if you can make a compelling argument that Luis Enrique’s men need an established scorer with substantial experience, it just does not seem to add up.

Non-European

Although Salah has been clear about his wish to remain in Europe for the next couple of years while he remains near the top of his game, that will not stop rumors linking him with MLS nor the Saudi Pro League. Given that Salah has already been the subject of strong Saudi interest in the past, it would appear that they might well have missed their chance with the Egyptian. Instead, perhaps MLS could have a shot at landing him but only after an additional year or so in Europe and that remains the problematic nature of what comes next for Salah.