Mohamed Salah’s recent public complaint that the Reds have been “under the bus” has forced a swift reassessment of his standing at Liverpool. The club are reported to still want to keep the forward, but the situation has accelerated into something described internally as bewildering.

Salah rarely addresses the media, yet similar pressure was applied last season during talks that eventually produced a two-year deal thought to be worth more than £41 million ($54.8 million). His current contract has around 18 months to run and the club viewed his absence from the starting lineup as temporary.

The Athletic has reported that the perception among other clubs and agents, including some with “direct knowledge” of Liverpool, is that Salah either wants to force a transfer or is applying pressure on Slot, who is already feeling scrutiny because of poor results this season. There is an acknowledgement inside Liverpool that a continued hardline stance from Salah could render his place at the club untenable if no resolution is reached.

For now the ball is said to be in Salah’s court, though his immediate focus may turn to international duty as he prepares to join Egypt for the Africa Cup of Nations. Jamie Carragher has pointed out that Salah is searching for his first international title.

Reports suggest Salah’s outside options are limited. Saudi clubs were keen before he committed his future to Liverpool in April, and Al Hilal or Al Ittihad are presented as more plausible Saudi destinations than Al Nassr. Al Hilal could offer a reunion with Darwin Núñez. “Mohamed Salah is welcome in the Saudi League, but it is the clubs that are responsible for negotiating with players. For sure Salah is [a target],” SPL chief executive Omar Mugharbel confirmed this week.

Major League Soccer interest has been reported, though any move there would require an available Designated Player slot. Inter Miami are thought to have plans for theirs, while Chicago Fire and San Diego FC have been mentioned as more feasible destinations. Leaving Europe would mean departing the highest competitive level of club football, a significant consideration for a 33-year-old player still in good physical condition.

Saudi Pro League chief executive Omar Mugharbel has confirmed that Mohamed Salah is a transfer target for clubs in Saudi Arabia as the forward navigates a difficult period at Liverpool. Mugharbel said at the World Football Summit in Riyadh: “Mohamed Salah is welcome in the Saudi League, but it is the clubs that are responsible for negotiating with players. For sure Salah is one of [the targets].”

The comments arrive after a public exchange between Salah and his club following a sequence of team selections. Having been dropped for three league games in a row, Salah said he had been “thrown under the bus” and revealed he had told his parents to come and see the Premier League champions take on Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, hinting it could be his last appearance at Anfield.

The situation coincides with Salah’s impending departure for the Africa Cup of Nations and the approaching January transfer window. Those factors, combined with his form this season, make his position the subject of transfer speculation. Liverpool have won just two of their last 10 Premier League games and the manager, Arne Slot, benched the reigning PFA Player of the Year for three consecutive fixtures as he sought to arrest the club’s slump.

Slot then omitted the 33-year-old from his squad for Liverpool’s Champions League meeting with Inter, a game the 20-time English champions won 1–0 thanks to a late penalty from Dominik Szoboszlai.

Interest from Saudi clubs has been evident before. Al Hilal and Al Ittihad have been linked with Salah, and Al Ittihad submitted a £150 million ($200 million) bid for the forward in the summer of 2023, which Liverpool rejected. With Karim Benzema’s contract at Al Ittihad set to expire at the end of the season, the defending Saudi champions may have reason to revisit previous interest if they choose to pursue another high-profile signing.

Steven Gerrard has urged Liverpool to resolve the dispute with Mohamed Salah after a public falling out with Arne Slot that saw the forward left out of the travelling party for a Champions League tie. The club won that game 1–0 against Inter via Dominik Szoboszlai’s late and controversial penalty.

Salah accused Liverpool of “throwing him under the bus” and, during an extensive rant, hinted at a possible exit as Saudi Pro League clubs circled. Gerrard wants the winger to remain at the club and return to form.

“He’s obviously really upset he’s not playing, which I respect,” Gerrard told TNT Sports. “He won’t sit out of the team, which I respect. The couple of lines about throwing people under the bus [is] wrong. He needs to reverse a little bit away from that.

“He needs to deal with that with the manager. This needs Virgil van Dijk to go, ‘How are we sorting this out for the benefit of not the club, or the team, but the fans?’”

Gerrard drew parallels with a previous dressing-room rupture during his playing days. “I’ve seen this and I’ve lived it. I lived it with [Luis] Suárez when he fell out with Brendan [Rodgers]. I’ve seen it all. I’ve been there myself from a personal point of view. I did the Salah statement in 30 seconds against [Manchester] United when I got sent off. So no-one’s perfect.

“We’ve all had head losses as players. We’ve all done emotional things. And I know in time when this all calms Mo will go, ‘I shouldn’t have said that, I maybe shouldn’t have said that, I was a bit emotional, I was a bit hasty.’

“But at the end of the day, Liverpool football club needs Mo Salah, back playing well, back scoring goals, because he is the best player, the best scorer and he will help them get out of this. If this goes on, this is bigger than what we all know and what we see.”

The article notes that Jürgen Klopp is deeply familiar with managing Salah, having used him 349 times during his time in the Anfield dugout—the player he used most in his coaching career. Klopp praised Salah’s constant development. “He always developed. He never stops. That is his mindset,” Klopp told the BBC. “After each summer break he came back and had a new skill. It was like he had spent the whole time just practising one particular type of pass.

“We pushed each other, just to make sure that we would never stop. And we never did stop. That moment lifting the Premier League bonded us for life. He will be remembered as one of the greatest of all time.”