Saudi clubs ‘confident’ Salah will leave Liverpool in January as top replacement ‘ready for next step’ | OneFootball

Clubs in Saudi Arabia are confident they can sign Mohamed Salah in a cut-price deal in the winter transfer window, according to reports.

Salah has been off the boil this season and has not started any of Liverpool’s last two Premier League games.

He has only four goals and two assists in 13 matches for ninth-placed Liverpool after registering 47 goal involvements in 2024/25.

Mo Salah’s poor 25/26: The numbers

According to The i Paper, the Saudi Pro League will make another push for Salah when the transfer window reopens in January.

‘Confidence is high’ in the Middle East that Salah will finally be persuaded to leave Liverpool, and ‘funds are available’ for two clubs to make a fresh bid.

Liverpool have rejected several offers in recent years, and any new proposal will not come close to the £200 million bid submitted by Al-Ittihad in 2023.

A source said: “Several senior figures at PIF (Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund) and within the Pro League believe the power lies with them.

“Mo’s form, unhappiness about not being in the team, Liverpool’s need to change something and the fact they have too many strikers all help push him to the Middle East.”

Saudi officials have long felt that Salah is open to the move and believed two years ago that he was tempted.

Salah’s potential replacement at Liverpool

If Salah leaves Liverpool, who will Arne Slot target?

Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo has been linked with the Reds all season and is seen as the natural replacement for Salah.

He is a target regardless of Salah’s future, and could even help push the Egyptian back into form by providing real competition on the right wing.

It would, of course, be impossible to sign someone capable of replicating Salah’s numbers since he joined Liverpool. With that in mind, no replacement should be seen as underwhelming.

The best option is undoubtedly Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise, though it remains unclear whether he wants to return to the Premier League.

The i Paper adds that Semenyo is a player Slot is pushing to sign. It would be a relatively straightforward transfer, given that he has a £65million release clause and Bournemouth are unwilling to negotiate.

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Liverpool target Semenyo ready for ‘next step’

Semenyo’s national team manager, Ghana head coach Otto Addo, believes the winger is ready for the “next step” in his career.

“He has done very well at Bournemouth, but with all respect for Bournemouth and what they’re doing, surely it is natural for him to take the next step,” Addo told The Athletic.

“Whether it’s in the winter or summer is a different question, but it won’t make a difference for us. I’m looking forward to him showing more of what he can do to the world.”

Will Salah leave Liverpool?

The manner of Salah’s Liverpool exit will be important. It feels wrong for the club’s greatest Premier League-era player to leave mid-season.

However, football is a business, and if the Reds receive a huge offer, they are likely to prioritise a major fee for an underperforming, high-earning player over sentiment.

Put simply: if Saudi clubs submit an offer that doesn’t take the p*ss, Salah will probably leave Liverpool in January.