Saudi Arabia has been the expected destination all summer.
The money was ready.
And the Saudi Pro League wanted to make Mohamed Salah their marquee signing of the post-World Cup window.
But Salah’s salary demands have created a gap that nobody has yet bridged.
Yet, into that gap, an unlikely candidate has emerged.
Mohamed Salah open to MLS move as Sporting Kansas City emerge as surprise frontrunners
According to The Athletic, Sporting Kansas City have emerged as the top MLS suitor for Salah, with sources confirming the 34-year-old remains open to a move to the United States even as he continues to prefer a European solution.
Any MLS deal is still described as a longshot.
But it’s a longshot with a very specific emotional pull.
Sporting Kansas City’s new majority owner Peter Mallouk is the son of Egyptian immigrants.
A detail that is not irrelevant when you’re trying to convince one of Egypt’s greatest ever sportsmen to relocate to the American Midwest.
The club currently sit bottom of the Western Conference.
But the investment being promised is real, with serious moves for Toulouse winger Yann Gboho and Olympiacos’ Andre Luiz, both in the $18-20 million range, already in advanced stages.
Salah would be their third designated player.
The most expensive, and the most transformative.
Since announcing his Liverpool departure in March, Salah’s next chapter has been one of the most discussed storylines in football.
His World Cup with Egypt produced moments of genuine quality.
A goal against New Zealand, a performance that had Argentina rattled before a late collapse ended their run, reminding the world that at 34, the talent hasn’t diminished.
Saudi clubs remain the most financially aggressive suitors.
But Salah’s desired salary has proven a barrier even there, with his Liverpool wages north of £20 million per year making any deal complicated regardless of league.
MLS has never paid those numbers before.
Whether it will here depends on how much Mallouk is willing to spend, and how much Kansas City is willing to bet on star power to turn around a club sitting at the bottom of its conference.
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