Mohamed Salah is tipped to defy Saudi Arabian mega-bucks, aiming to extend his high-profile playing career at one of Europe’s elite clubs.
The 33-year-old confirmed this week that he will depart Anfield at the close of the current season.
The Liverpool star’s impending departure comes less than a year after he penned a two-year contract extension, a deal that would have kept him at the club beyond a sensational 2024/25 season.
That campaign saw him equal the Premier League record for goal involvements in a single term as Liverpool topped the table.
While a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League is widely considered his most probable destination, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher offers a contrasting view.
Carragher believes Salah remains driven enough to pursue further Champions League glory before eventually succumbing to the allure of Saudi Arabia or North America’s MLS.
Speaking on The Overlap podcast, Carragher said: “I think Mo Salah, the way he’s driven like a Ronaldo, I don’t see the Saudi thing just yet.
“I can see him in Italy with one of the giants. I just think your career’s over when you go there (Saudi Arabia). I think he’ll still be looking at his Champions League record or how many goals he can get.
“I still think he thinks, ‘I’m still one of the best players, and me leaving now is not the end of my top-level career, I’ve still got something to give’.”
Salah, who spent two seasons with Roma before his move to Anfield in 2017, has won one Champions League title with Liverpool and currently sits 11th on the all-time list of the competition’s leading goalscorers.
According to Carragher, his Anfield record – with 255 goals from 435 appearances to date – ranks him sixth in the list of the club’s all-time greatest players, behind Kenny Dalglish, Steven Gerrard, Graeme Souness, Ian Rush and John Barnes.
Carragher, who slammed Salah as “disgraceful” following his mixed zone outburst after being left on the bench against Leeds last year, said his decision to leave with one year left on his existing contract is “the right decision for everyone”.
He added: “In hindsight, could they have done this last summer? But how could you not give the best player in the Premier League a new contract last season.
“It’s very difficult to say with hindsight. It probably happened a year earlier than we thought.”
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