Liverpool’s ‘Increasingly Likely’ Departure Sets Up Enormous Summer Transfer Window

After such an expensive 2025, Liverpool’s 2026 summer window could be even more significant.

Mohamed Salah’s time at Liverpool is coming to an end. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Mohamed Salah is “increasingly likely” to leave Liverpool this summer after a tense 2025–26 season, a report has claimed.

Having struggled for form and lost his place in Liverpool’s starting lineup, Salah unleashed a shocking attack on manager Arne Slot and claimed he was being forced out of the club. The pair have since shaken hands but BBC Sport predict an end to Salah’s Liverpool tenure once the campaign comes to a close.

Clubs in Saudi Arabia and Major League Soccer are on alert but will have to meet Salah’s sizeable wage demands if they are to lure him away from Liverpool before his contract expires in 2027. The Reds do not want to lose Salah on a free transfer.

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The Candidates to Replace Mohamed Salah

Salah’s exit will hit Liverpool hard. | Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images

How can Liverpool possibly replace Salah? The Egyptian is not only one of the club’s greatest players ever, but also holds a place towards the top of the rankings when it comes to the all-time elite of the Premier League.

Salah’s inevitable departure, regardless of the circumstances, will hit Liverpool incredibly hard. Unfortunately for the Reds, they will not get long to pay tribute as they will have to busy themselves finding a replacement.

Further complicating the situation for Liverpool is the fact Salah will not command the same level of transfer fee as his replacement. He will be 34 by the time the season ends, into the final year of his contract and, after his mid-season outburst, can no longer be painted as an unsellable asset. Gone are the days of the $190 million (£150 million at the time) offer from the Saudi Pro League and getting anywhere close to half that sum would appear incredibly unlikely.

It’s going to cost Liverpool to replace Salah, and their budget may depend on whether they can qualify for next season’s Champions League. A big spend on a new superstar would be far harder without the money that comes with playing in Europe’s top competition.

The likes of Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise or Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola would represent incredibly expensive options, while Rodrygo’s future at Real Madrid could be dictated by whether Álvaro Arbeloa remains in the dugout beyond this season.

Plenty of reports name RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande as a possible target, but he is likely to cost the best part of $100 million and also has admirers from across Europe.

Athletic Club’s Nico Williams has been linked with a switch to Anfield, as has boyhood Reds fan Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United. Karim Adeyemi of Borussia Dortmund was a target from the Jürgen Klopp days.

Closer to home, many Liverpool fans have called for more minutes for 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha, but Slot has urged caution over playing too much pressure on the youngster at this early stage of his career.

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