Where next for Mohamed Salah? Conflicting reports cloud the Liverpool legend's future

Mohamed Salah's contract with Liverpool ended on 30 June 2026, leaving one of the Premier League's greatest forwards without a club — and the football world deeply divided over where he goes next. The Egyptian, who captains his national team and stands as the all-time top foreign goalscorer in the Premier League, has been at the centre of a swirl of conflicting reports. Some outlets say he joined Saudi club Al-Ittihad in 2025 on a deal worth £400,000 per week, only to agree an early termination; others link him to Turkish sides Trabzonspor and Besiktas, to Atletico Madrid, and back to Saudi Arabia. Club officials have issued denials even as reports of agreements multiply. What makes this more than routine transfer gossip is the scale of the disagreement. Rival clubs, their presidents and prominent journalists are publicly contradicting one another, and almost nothing about Salah's next move is confirmed. For now, his future remains genuinely open.

Salah a free agent after Liverpool exit, with suitors circling

Mohamed Salah's long association with Liverpool is over. His contract with the Premier League club ended on 30 June 2026, and reports indicate he departed as a free agent, leaving one of English football's most decorated forwards without a club. The Egyptian, who captains his national team and stands as the Premier League's all-time top foreign goalscorer, is now at the centre of a crowded and confusing transfer picture.

Clubs in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Spain have all been linked with the forward. Yet almost every detail of his next move is contested. Reports variously place him close to a Turkish switch, bound for the Saudi Pro League, or headed to Madrid, while club officials and journalists have publicly contradicted one another. What follows is an account of a saga in which no two sources seem to agree.

The disputed Al-Ittihad deal and its reported early termination

Reports suggest Salah signed for Saudi club Al-Ittihad in 2025 on a contract worth £400,000 per week, due to run until 2027. The same accounts claim he requested a £34 million contract from the club, and that he later reached an agreement to terminate the deal one year early. Sports.yahoo.com went further, reporting that Al-Ittihad are close to completing a £21m Saudi deal.

None of this has been confirmed, and the timeline itself raises questions. Salah's Liverpool contract ran until 30 June 2026, yet the reported Al-Ittihad signing, the £34 million request and the early termination are all dated to 2025 — a year in which he was still under contract at Anfield. Reports also describe him leaving Liverpool as a free agent. How these accounts fit together remains unresolved, and the publications consulted offer no consistent explanation.

Trabzonspor and Besiktas: a transfer saga of denials and counter-claims

Salah had been in talks with Besiktas over a move to the Istanbul club, according to multiple reports, but the picture quickly became muddled. Goal.com reported that the Egyptian could be drawn to Turkey this summer, though not to Besiktas — rather to one of their Süper Lig rivals. Football365.com went further, claiming Trabzonspor were "close to hijacking" Besiktas' deal to sign him.

Trabzonspor president Ertuğrul Doğan publicly denied that his club had reached any agreement with Salah, while conceding that every team would "want" to sign a player of his calibre. Besiktas, for their part, claimed they had walked away from talks, with a senior figure at the club delivering a damning update on the potential transfer and a club figurehead saying they had "stepped back" from negotiations. Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano also downplayed talk of an agreement between Salah and Besiktas, leaving the Turkish chapter of the saga unresolved.

Saudi interest, a Ronaldo-Mane condition, and the Atletico Madrid option

Saudi Arabia remains in the picture. Reports suggest several Saudi clubs are pursuing Salah, and that his representatives have communicated a condition to Saudi Pro League teams concerning Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane. What that condition involves has not been disclosed.

Spain has also entered the conversation. One report claims Salah could move to Atletico Madrid during the summer 2026 transfer window, though nothing has been confirmed by the club or the player.

For now, the picture is genuinely unclear. Salah has no confirmed destination and, according to available reporting, has not signed a contract with any club since leaving Liverpool. Every thread — Saudi, Turkish, Spanish — remains attributed claim rather than established fact.

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