Liverpool’s talismanic forward Mohamed Salah is once again at the centre of a transfer storm, with fresh speculation linking the Egyptian superstar to a blockbuster £150m move back to his homeland. As whispers of a January exit grow louder, truths are emerging from all angles—from club insiders and former executives to the raw, unfiltered reactions of Reds supporters. Amid Salah’s alarming dip in form this season, the debate rages: is it time for Anfield to cash in on their all-time great?
The 33-year-old Salah, who penned a lucrative two-year contract extension in April 2024 following a career-defining campaign, appeared destined to bow out on his own terms. That deal was a masterstroke by the Liverpool hierarchy, shielding the club from the nightmare scenario of losing their record-breaking attacker on a free transfer in summer 2025. It also rebuffed overtures from Saudi Arabian suitors, where eye-watering wages and a starring role in the Pro League’s global push were dangled like forbidden fruit.
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Yet, just six months on, the landscape has shifted dramatically. Salah’s blistering start to the 2024/25 season has evaporated into a barren run, with the forward managing only four goals across all competitions as of late October. The goals that once flowed like the Nile now seem as elusive as a Premier League title for Arne Slot’s side, who sit precariously mid-table after a string of disheartening results, including a 3-2 home defeat to Brentford.
This slump has reignited rumours of a homecoming to Egypt, specifically with Cairo giants Al-Ahly. Transfer insider Graeme Bailey dropped a bombshell earlier this month, claiming Liverpool are acutely aware they’re in the “endgame” with Salah. With his contract running until June 2027, the Reds could still command a king’s ransom—but at what cost to team morale and momentum?
Al-Ahly’s £150m Bid: Dream or Mirage?
The headline-grabbing figure of £150m has been floated as the potential price tag for Salah’s services, a sum that would shatter records in the Egyptian Premier League and provide Liverpool with a war chest to rebuild. Al-Ahly, the continent’s most decorated club, are reportedly keeping the offer “on the table,” viewing the move as a coup that could elevate African football’s profile overnight.
However, skeptics abound. The Egyptian top flight has lagged behind its Saudi counterpart in terms of investment and infrastructure, raising eyebrows over whether Al-Ahly could bankroll both Salah’s astronomical wages—estimated at £350,000 per week—and the transfer fee without external backing. It’s a tantalising “what if,” but one that borders on fantasy given the league’s financial constraints.
Enter Sayed Abdel Hafeez, Al-Ahly’s former director of football, who has poured cold water on the hype. Speaking to MBC Egypt, Hafeez dismissed the links as “media efforts” rather than concrete negotiations. “Mohamed Salah is a very big star and has done things that are difficult for any player in the Arab world to do,” he said. “He’s focusing on his professional career… Linking Salah to Al-Ahly is a media effort, and he’s a player who has honoured Egyptian football and all Arabs. Let’s talk realistically. Salah renewed his contract with Liverpool months ago. There is no official at Al-Ahly who talked about this matter. This matter was only circulated in the media. We will focus on the team’s priorities. I wish Salah success.”
Hafeez’s measured tone underscores a broader truth: while the romance of a Salah return to Al-Ahly tugs at heartstrings across the Arab world, the logistics remain a steep hill to climb. For Liverpool, though, the mere existence of such talk forces a reckoning. Sell now, pocket the cash, and invest in youth? Or hold firm and risk a fire sale in 2027?
Fans’ Brutal Verdict: “It’s Time to Retire a Club Legend”
If there’s unanimity anywhere in this saga, it’s among Liverpool’s passionate fanbase. Scrolling through X (formerly Twitter), the message is stark and unsparing: the era of the Egyptian King may be drawing to a close. Supporters, still reeling from recent capitulations, are blending nostalgia with pragmatism in calls for the club to “secure the bag.”
One vocal fan laid it bare: “It’s time to retire a club legend.” Another, ever the optimist on the pitch but realist off it, countered: “The goals will start flowing again for Salah, but at 33, from a purely professional standpoint, LFC should consider cashing in.” The sentiment echoed widely, with a third declaring: “This is the right time to secure the bag, bro. There is nothing else left for you at Liverpool. Accept the offer and secure that bag.”
The chorus grew louder. “Bro had better leave. He’s got nothing else to prove to anyone,” fired one supporter, while another envisioned the financial ripple effects: “That might just save them in January tbh, having 150 mil to spend + whatever they have left to rejuvenate the squad is massive.”
These aren’t isolated rants; they represent a fanbase grappling with transition. Salah’s legacy is etched in stone—249 goals in 414 appearances, third on Liverpool’s all-time list behind only Ian Rush and Roger Hunt. His eight-season odyssey delivered a Premier League title, a Champions League triumph, and countless unforgettable nights under the Anfield floodlights. But football waits for no one, and with Salah’s form mirroring the team’s broader malaise, the romantic in Reds fans is yielding to the strategist.
Rooney’s Warning: Body Language and Leadership in Crisis
Few know the pressures of Liverpool’s spotlight better than Wayne Rooney, the Premier League’s second-highest scorer and a keen observer of the beautiful game’s brutal underbelly. On his BBC podcast, The Wayne Rooney Show, the Manchester United icon dissected the Reds’ woes, zeroing in on Salah and captain Virgil van Dijk as the epicentre of the storm.
“This can happen to teams and it can get them,” Rooney mused post-Brentford. “You’re probably sitting here thinking three or four weeks ago, no one saw this coming. And it’s hit them quick, it’s hit them hard, and they’re struggling to find a way out of it. This is the time where the manager, the leaders in the team need to figure it out very quickly.”
Rooney didn’t mince words on the duo’s new deals—Salah’s extension and Van Dijk’s similar commitment last summer—questioning their on-pitch influence. “I’m a bit unsure. Van Dijk and Salah have signed new deals and whatever, but I don’t think they’ve really led that team this season.” Probing deeper, he pinpointed the intangible: body language. “Just performances and body language. I think body language tells you a lot. I think we’re seeing a slightly different body language from the two of them. They are the top two players in that side, and if their body language isn’t right, that affects everyone else.”
For Rooney, Liverpool’s spiral is a classic trap: a conceded goal spirals into dread, momentum evaporates, and the cycle feeds itself. “Liverpool are in a bad place at the minute… You concede a goal and straight away you’re thinking ‘here we go again’. It’s such a hard thing to get out of. The best thing is to simplify things for each player and the manager.”
His verdict? Salah and Van Dijk’s aura, once unassailable, now risks dragging the squad down. In a team bereft of leadership, a £150m exit could be the reset button—or the final nail.
Broader Blues at Anfield: Wirtz Loan Talk, Slot Sack Watch, and Isak Injury Scare
Salah’s struggles are symptomatic of deeper rot. Summer signing Florian Wirtz, the £100m+ Bayer Leverkusen sensation, has flattered to deceive, prompting calls for a January loan to sharpen his edge—potentially to a Champions League contender as an “upgrade” from Anfield’s current chaos.
Manager Arne Slot faces mounting pressure too. Pundits whisper of an accelerated timeline for the Dutchman’s dismissal, with one naming ideal replacements and lambasting his summer recruitment as a “biggest mistake.” And in the injury ward, £125m record buy Alexander Isak’s groin woes could necessitate surgery, sidelining the Newcastle loanee and compounding Liverpool’s attacking woes.
The Verdict: End of an Era or Temporary Hiccup?
As January looms, Liverpool stand at a crossroads. Salah’s indelible mark on Anfield folklore is beyond dispute, but at 33, with form faltering and mega-offers beckoning, the cold calculus of modern football intrudes. Fans’ brutal pleas for a sale aren’t betrayal—they’re a plea for evolution, a £150m injection to herald a new dawn.
Will Al-Ahly’s dream materialise? Hafeez says no, but media mills grind on. Rooney urges introspection. And Slot? He must rally his icons before the endgame becomes checkmate. For now, the Egyptian King reigns supreme in highlights reels, but the throne feels shakier than ever. One thing’s certain: whatever transpires, Salah’s Anfield chapter will close as legendarily as it unfolded.