Mohamed Salah's Conditions for Saudi Move

Mohamed Salah has given the go-ahead to a move to Saudi Arabia – but only on his terms, and they are anything but small.

The Liverpool legend, whose departure from Anfield was confirmed weeks ago, has “granted approval” to a switch to the Saudi Pro League, according to strong reports from Saudi outlet Marebpress. Yet any deal will have to clear three major hurdles before the Egyptian king trades Merseyside for the Middle East.

Salah’s Saudi stance: yes, but…

Salah, 33, leaves Liverpool one year before the end of his £400,000-per-week contract after a bruising season on and off the pitch. Liverpool stumbled to fifth, the campaign scarred by poor performances and the emotional strain of dealing with the tragic passing of teammate Diogo Jota. The fallout eventually cost Arne Slot his job.

Behind the scenes, Salah’s relationship with Slot deteriorated badly. Those disagreements formed a key part of the decision to walk away from Anfield after nine glittering years. Dejan Lovren has since claimed that if the Dutchman had been sacked earlier, Salah would not have pushed for an exit this summer.

That chapter is now closed. The next one is being written in Saudi.

Marebpress reports that Salah has already received a formal offer from a Saudi club, but the financial package came in below what he was previously offered before he renewed with Liverpool. That will not fly.

Salah has set out three clear conditions:

• Elite-level salary and benefits – He wants an annual wage and financial incentives that match his status and global marketing power. Those close to the negotiations expect any agreement to rank among the biggest sporting contracts ever handed out, with TEAMtalk previously outlining the likelihood of an ambassadorial role to help promote football in the country.
• Contract length and stability – Salah is seeking a deal of two or three years. At 33, he wants security and a defined platform for the next phase of his career, not a short-term stopover.
• A genuine sporting project – Money alone will not be enough. Salah insists on joining a club capable of competing for major titles, not one content just to make up the numbers in domestic and continental competitions.

Only when all three demands are met will he sign.

Anfield fallout: Lovren vs Carragher

While the Saudi talks gather pace, the manner of Salah’s exit continues to tear at Liverpool’s emotional fabric. Many supporters wanted him to stay and see out his deal until 2027. The club, though, has already pivoted towards the future, with Yan Diomande identified as their top target to help fill the enormous void on the right.

The arguments over how Salah has been treated have now spilled into open conflict between two former Liverpool defenders.

Dejan Lovren, one of Salah’s closest friends in football, has launched a fierce defence of the forward and taken direct aim at Jamie Carragher for his criticism of the Egyptian.

Speaking to Winwin, Lovren did not hold back.

“The way they treated him this season is not harsh. It’s disgusting,” he said. “Why didn’t they talk about him like this for the past eight or nine years? Tell me… OK, one season, and then he’s the target again. There are so many other issues.

“He’s being really heavily criticised. Some pundits do it just to attract attention, maybe because they haven’t succeeded in other areas of their lives, so now they need to perform well… especially Carragher, he says whatever he wants. I always said he should tell him this to his face, say all these things to Mo to his face.

“He’ll never say that. Because I know he never will, because he never said it to me. He’s talked badly about me too, but he never said that to me anyway. You know, he’s just performing on TV and he gets paid for it, so he needs to perform this way.”

The Croatian then turned his fire towards the management structure at Liverpool, drawing a sharp contrast between Salah’s bond with Jürgen Klopp and his strained rapport with Slot.

“I don’t think it’s the management (that pushed Salah to leave). I think it’s just one person, and I think it’s just the manager. They didn’t have a good relationship. Let’s put it simply,” Lovren said.

“With Klopp, he had a really good relationship. It wasn’t always perfect, but they knew each other very well, let’s say that too, and they trusted each other, they liked each other, and Mo gave everything on the pitch for Klopp, and Klopp gave him that trust. But (with Slot) it was the opposite. It’s that simple, and everyone knows it because when you look at the previous eight or nine seasons, he did really well.”

Lovren also suggested Salah was left exposed in the dressing room.

“There are other players who should also take responsibility and say, ‘yes, this is my fault’, but you know, some players never came forward,” he added. “There was mismanagement; internally, they didn’t handle it well. They didn’t handle it well. Even if you have some problems, you have to talk about it in the dressing room, and like I said, Mo never felt that support. He was always the front-page headline, ‘Ah, it’s Mohamed Salah, don’t be surprised.’ I mean… it’s a deep-seated issue.”

So Liverpool move on, scouting successors and reshaping their attack. Salah, meanwhile, weighs up one of the richest offers in world sport, holding firm on his three conditions.

If Saudi Arabia truly wants the Egyptian king, it knows the price – and not just in pounds.