Liverpool rule out unthinkable move as three clubs pursue Salah

December 8, 2025 Oliver Obel

Liverpool are still feeling the aftershocks of Mohamed Salah’s unusually blunt comments over the weekend, a moment that has reopened questions about his long-term standing under Arne Slot. The transfer market has taken notice. So have people inside Anfield though not in the way some expected.

Interest from abroad is growing, but those close to Liverpool’s hierarchy insist on one point: frustration from even a marquee player won’t dictate who manages the club.

A shifting transfer landscape

According to reporting from The Athletic, several clubs have been monitoring Salah’s situation for months, and his public remarks have only sharpened that attention. Al Hilal are viewed as one of the rare teams capable of matching Liverpool’s valuation if a conversation were ever to begin. Two MLS sides San Diego FC and Chicago Fire are also exploring whether the door could open. Chicago, as the outlet noted, attempted a move before Salah renewed his deal in April.

Whether Liverpool would engage in any January talks is far less certain. The season is still young. And for years, Salah has been the player they’ve built around.

Flashpoint at Elland Road

The tension didn’t appear out of nowhere. Liverpool’s frenetic 3–3 draw at Leeds United a match they led twice left the squad visibly deflated as they walked toward the tunnel. A late strike from Ao Tanaka, reported The Athletic, only intensified the scrutiny surrounding Slot, who is still trying to imprint his style on a team accustomed to very different rhythms.

Salah, benched for the third straight match, sounded deeply frustrated afterward. He told reporters he had “no relationship” with Slot and felt the club had “thrown [him] under the bus.”

For a player usually measured in public, the tone landed heavily. It was the kind of comment that turns a selection decision into a story.

Liverpool’s stance remains steady

Even so, there’s no indication Liverpool intend to waver on Slot’s position. As The Athletic reported, senior figures find the idea of dismissing a head coach over a player’s anger “unthinkable,” regardless of the player’s reputation or contributions.

Slot will address reporters on Monday ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League visit to Inter Milan. Whether Salah boards the plane will tell us something. Not everything but something.

Sources: The Athletic