Mohamed Salah’s time at Liverpool is confirmed to be ending and questions are growing about where he will move next. Juventus’s sporting director Marco Ottolini moved to quash one persistent line of speculation, telling 365scores: “What is being circulated about negotiations to sign Mohamed Salah to Juventus is not true. At the moment, there is nothing regarding that.”

Ottolini also stressed there is not currently any contact between Juventus and Salah, though he did not rule out the possibility of future approaches. The comments make clear that any immediate shift to Juventus is unlikely, even if the club’s history of securing elite names on free transfers still attracts attention. The club has previously signed big names on free transfers, including Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba, Kingsley Coman, Sami Khedira, Emre Can and Adrien Rabiot.

That record of bargains sits against a sporting backdrop in which Juventus have not been genuine title contenders for several seasons, a reality that could lessen their appeal to an elite forward weighing his next move.

The strongest links for Salah centre on the Saudi Pro League. The competition has openly pursued Salah over recent seasons and came close last season before Liverpool secured an extension. With his contract situation changing, clubs such as Al Hilal and Al Qadsiah are expected to present offers that would include wages not typically available at European clubs.

Paris Saint-Germain have also been named among potential suitors, described as a surprise given their current emphasis on younger recruitment. There have been additional rumours of interest from Galatasaray in Türkiye. For now, Juventus insist there is nothing in the reports linking them to Salah, while Saudi and other European clubs remain the likeliest destinations as his Liverpool career draws to a close.

Andoni Iraola’s decision not to extend his Bournemouth deal leaves one of the Premier League’s most highly rated young managers available when his two-year contract signed in 2024 ends in June. His work at Bournemouth has been strong and consistent, but Iraola has made clear his ambition exceeds the limitations of the club.

Real Madrid is presented as a high-profile possibility in some discussions, though the piece below treats that as a stretch rather than an immediate fit. Liverpool would make sense on paper: Iraola has Premier League pedigree, a high-energy style and a record of improving talented youngsters — Reds left back Milos Kerkez is offered as evidence of that ability. Any Liverpool interest would hinge on the future of Arne Slot.

Manchester United remain a live option. Ruben Amorim left in January and Michael Carrick, appointed on an interim basis, has stabilised results and looks set to pursue Champions League qualification. “It was reported last month that United had not yet approached any alternative candidates, essentially making it Carrick’s job to lose as long as results were sufficiently good enough.” Yet United will still assess long-term options and Iraola’s unbeaten record against them is notable: he is unbeaten across all six meetings since 2023 and won 3–0 at Old Trafford in both 2023–24 and 2024–25.

Italy is not closed. Juventus have extended Luciano Spalletti until 2028, but Atalanta represent a conceivable project. Raffaele Palladino is currently in charge and senior executive Luca Percassi recently told Sky Sport Italia that talks are “postponed” while crucial matches are played. For a club used to European football, a reset could open a doorway for a fresh coach.

There are also risk-and-reward options. Tottenham dropping to the Championship would present a reconstruction brief with enormous upside. Chelsea, despite handing Liam Rosenior a six-year deal at the start of 2026, are underperforming and could attract a candidate like Iraola if the club seek a decisive change. Each destination carries different constraints, but Iraola’s profile ensures he will be one of the more sought-after names this summer.

The surge in transfer prices and squad valuations has reshaped how clubs are measured. The CIES Football Observatory produces those estimates by weighing a player’s quality, age, position and length of contract, and those individual valuations are then summed to give each squad a market value.

The scale is striking. There are nine clubs with squads valued above $1 billion. At the top is Real Madrid with a squad valuation of $1.78 billion and Kylian Mbappé listed as the most valuable player at $221 million. Barcelona follow with $1.60 billion, Lamine Yamal accounting for $403.9 million of that total. Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain each sit at $1.55 billion, with Bukayo Saka ($131.5 million) and Désiré Doué ($150.3 million) named as their most valuable players respectively.

Liverpool’s roster is valued at $1.20 billion, most valuable player Florian Wirtz ($149.8 million). Bayern Munich come in at $1.15 billion with Michael Olise ($162.6 million) as their top-rated asset. Tottenham’s squad is valued at $1.03 billion; Xavi Simons is listed as their most valuable player ($98.1 million), despite the club’s current relegation fight and Igor Tudor’s assessment that players “are lacking when we attack, we lack the quality to score the goal. We are lacking in the middle to run and we are lacking behind to stay there to suffer and not concede the goal.”

The list also includes Manchester United ($953 million, Benjamin Šeško $100.3 million) and Inter ($942 million, Lautaro Martínez $117 million). Earlier-positioned squads under $1 billion include Atlético Madrid ($903 million, Julián Álvarez $136.5 million), Juventus ($896 million, Kenan Yıldız $152.5 million) and Brighton ($894 million, Diego Gómez $86.4 million).

Several voices in the game have reflected on the market changes. Karl-Heinz Rumminegge said, “There are some players who do not come with a price tag.” Robert Lewandowski complained, “You are young, you score 10 goals in six months and some club will pay 60 or 70 million,” adding, “Before, you had to achieve something.” Vincent Kompany warned players about hype: “I always tell my players, ‘When there’s hype please don’t believe it, you’re not that good.’”

Whether the valuations mirror on-field quality or the inflation of a transfer market remains the central question CIES data brings into focus.