Two clubs have expressed interest in signing Mohamed Salah after a bombshell interview raised huge doubts over his future at Liverpool.
In an astonishing interview after Liverpool’s 3-3 draw with Leeds United, Salah claimed he had been ‘thrown under the bus’ by Liverpool and said his relationship with Anfield boss Arne Slot had broken down.
Salah, one of Liverpool’s greatest players with 250 goals in 420 appearances, was benched for the third game in a row as the reigning Premier League champions visited Elland Road on Saturday evening.
The 33-year-old signed a new two-year contract with Liverpool in April aftermonths of speculation he would end his spell at Anfield at the end of the season.
Liverpool and Salah have struggled since winning the Premier League, with Slot’s side slipping to ninth in the table and the Egyptian forward only scoring twice since mid-September.
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‘I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame,’ Salah said in an extraordinary outburst.
‘I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager, and all of a sudden we don’t have any relationship.
‘I don’t know why but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn’t want me in the club.
‘It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.
‘This club, I will always support it. My kids will always support it. I love the club so much and I always will.
‘It [the situation] is not acceptable to me, to be fair. I don’t get it. It’s like I’m being thrown more under the bus. I don’t think I’m the problem. I have done so much for this club.
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‘I don’t have to go every day fighting for my position because I earned it. I am not bigger than anyone but I earned my position. It’s football. It is what it is.’
Salah, who is going to the Africa Cup of Nations on December 15, also said he was unsure whether he had already played his last game for Liverpool.
‘In football you never know,’ he admitted. ‘I don’t accept this situation. I have done so much for this club.
‘There’s no relationship between us [Salah and Slot]. It was very good relationship and now all of a sudden there is no relationship.’
With Salah’s Liverpool career potentially over, a number of clubs will be mulling over the financial implications of a January deal.
According to The Sun, Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal are ready to launch a move next month and are confident of securing a cut-price deal.
Liverpool received Saudi offers north of £150m for Salah two years ago but any January deal would fall well short of that figure.
Al-Hilal, managed by Simone Inzaghi, signed Salah’s former Liverpool teammate Darwin Nunez for £46m last summer.
But Al-Hilal expect to face competition in the transfer race, with a number of European teams considering their options after Salah’s comments.
GiveMeSport say MLS side San Diego are also weighing up an offer for Salah, though they are yet to make a formal approach.
Liverpool were understandably shocked by Salah’s outburst and Slot’s stance on the forward will become clearly on Monday when he faces the press ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Inter Milan.
But BBC Sport has been told that Liverpool are ‘open-minded’ about Salah’s future ahead of the January transfer window, suggesting that while he has not been put up for sale, they are open to offers.
Salah is also believed to be fairly open-minded about his next move, having previously indicated his willingness to move to Saudi Arabia.
Asked specifically about interest from Saudi during his explosive interview, Salah said: ‘I don’t want to answer this question, because the club is going to take me to a different direction.’
Only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt have scored more goals for Liverpool than Salah, who joined the club in a £34m move from Roma in 2017.
The 33-year-old – the fourth-leading goalscorer in Premier League history – has won the Golden Boot award four times, the joint-most in history.
Salah has been part of a Liverpool team that has won two Premier League titles, the Champions League, FA Cup and EFL Cup.
He netted 29 goals last season to help Liverpool win the title under Slot, the manager he has since fallen out with.
Liverpool’s title defence has gone horribly wrong, with Slot’s side winning less than half of their league games to slip ten points behind leaders Arsenal.
After a daunting midweek trip to Inter Milan, Liverpool – who threw away a two-goal lead in their draw at Leeds – return to Premier League action next weekend against Brighton.
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