“Now we know…”: 5-goal Liverpool forward will leave Anfield in the summer

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and Federico Chiesa. (REUTERS/Peter Powell)

Liverpool took a huge step towards automatic Champions League qualification with a commanding 3–0 win over Marseille on Tuesday night.

The result underlined the progress Arne Slot’s side have made after a shaky start to the campaign, with performances and results finally stabilising at a crucial point in the season.

Not everyone at Anfield is enjoying the upturn, however.

Mohamed Salah has struggled to rediscover his usual influence after returning from a very public falling-out with Slot, and with just five goals across all competitions, questions around his long-term future have only grown louder.

Now, it appears clarity is finally emerging.

Mohamed Salah is increasingly expected to depart Liverpool at the end of the season, with Saudi Pro League clubs already lining up a summer move.

While interest from Saudi Arabia was intense earlier in the campaign, a January transfer is now off the table, largely due to Liverpool’s refusal to sanction a mid-season exit.

Relations between Salah and Arne Slot were repaired following the Egyptian’s explosive comments in December, when he claimed he felt “not wanted”. Although tensions have cooled for now, sources suggest the forward sees the summer as the right moment to move on, allowing him to leave on his own terms rather than forcing an ugly winter departure.

One figure close to the Saudi Pro League recruitment process believes the outcome is all but settled, describing a summer switch as “inevitable”.

“The January conversation only came about after what Salah said to the media [about being ‘not wanted’],” the source explained to The i Paper.

“Now we know it is in his head that leaving Liverpool is a realistic option, and retiring there isn’t likely, we can prepare a proper approach in the summer.

“Salah is a name that changes the appeal of the league to a large number of players.”

If this does mark the beginning of the end, Liverpool appear keen for Salah’s Anfield story to conclude with dignity — one final run-in on the pitch before a high-profile farewell in the summer.

Barnaby Lane is a highly experienced sports writer who has written for The Times, FourFourTwo Magazine, Sports Illustrated, TalkSPORT, and Business Insider.

Over the years, he's had the pleasure of interviewing some of the biggest names in world sport, including Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal, Christian Pulisic, and more.

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