Report: Mo Salah has agreed mega contract to join new club | OneFootball

Mohamed Salah to Al-Ittihad: £21m Saudi Deal Nears After Besiktas Exit

Mohamed Salah’s next move looks close, and if Sabah is correct, Al-Ittihad are about to finish what others could not. After the collapse of talks with Besiktas, the Saudi club have stepped in and appear ready to put Salah on a deal worth £21 million a year for the 2026/27 season.

This is how these situations usually go. A player exits one elite club, there is noise around several destinations, intermediaries push hard, one or two options stall over money, and then Saudi Arabia arrives with clarity. No drama, no romance, just wages, terms and speed.

Salah had already left Liverpool at the end of June after agreeing to terminate the final year of his contract. His previous deal was worth around £400,000 a week, and the split came after relations had broken down with club figures, including Arne Slot. Once that happened, the market narrowed quickly. Clubs may admire the player, but very few can absorb the full financial package around a 34-year-old superstar.

Besiktas move stalled over demands

Besiktas tried. They built an offer worth about €20 million per season including bonuses and made a serious push to bring Salah to Istanbul. It was ambitious and, from their perspective, close to the limit. The problem was obvious. Once the representative’s demands moved beyond what the Turkish side considered reasonable, the whole thing stopped.

Photo: IMAGO

That matters because it showed there was interest, but not unlimited interest. Besiktas were prepared to stretch, though not recklessly. Once they withdrew, Salah needed a solution fast with the new season approaching.

Al-Ittihad return for Mohamed Salah

Al-Ittihad have been here before. They wanted Salah back in 2023 and offered Liverpool £150 million. That pursuit failed then, but the strategic logic never changed. He remains one of the biggest names in world football, hugely marketable, still productive and perfectly suited to a league chasing profile as much as output.

Sabah states, “Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad has offered Salah a yearly salary of $25 million,” and adds, “It has been learned that the player accepted the offer and the signing of the contract is imminent.” If that holds, the deal is effectively done.

Saudi Pro League outcome always made sense

There were other clubs mentioned, MLS sides such as San Diego FC and Sporting Kansas City, along with Fenerbahce and interest from Italy. None of them looked especially credible once the financial reality was applied. Admiration is cheap. Contracts are not.

For Al-Ittihad, this is a straightforward acquisition. For Salah, it is security, elite status and familiar financial comfort. For Liverpool, it closes the book on one of the greatest players in the club’s modern history, a two-time Premier League winner, a Champions League winner and a player who carried the attack for years.

Our View

As Liverpool supporters, this one lands with mixed emotions. On one hand, if Salah’s Anfield story was over, then a huge move abroad always felt more likely than some sentimental late-career stop elsewhere. He has earned the right to choose the biggest offer on the table, and nobody with any honesty can begrudge him that.

On the other hand, the detail about how his Liverpool exit unfolded leaves a sour taste. If things truly deteriorated that badly behind the scenes, then it is disappointing for a player who gave so much and delivered so often. Supporters always want legends to leave cleanly, with gratitude on both sides and without unnecessary friction.

Even so, the legacy is secure. Salah was relentless, decisive and world class for Liverpool. Goals, assists, trophies, durability, standards, he delivered everything. If Al-Ittihad is the next chapter, then good luck to him.

For Liverpool fans, the harder part is not where he goes next. It is accepting that there will never be another quite like him in red. Replacing output is difficult. Replacing presence is harder. Replacing certainty, that feeling that Salah would decide big games again and again, is hardest of all.