MLS ‘Top Suitor’ Revealed In Chase for Mohamed Salah

A move to North America would be huge off the back of the World Cup.

Mohamed Salah is a free agent. | Hector Vivas/FIFA/Getty Images

With his exploits with Egypt at the World Cup now consigned to history, the focus for Mohamed Salah is where he’ll be continuing his career after leaving Liverpool—and reports suggest his primary landing spot in MLS, should he head stateside, is currently Sporting Kansas City.

The Athletic’s report acknowledges the difficulty MLS clubs will have in convincing Salah to ignore the riches of the Saudi Pro League, in addition to his desire to stay in Europe if at all possible. But after a historic summer World Cup in the U.S., which has shown that anything is possible, multiple MLS teams are not giving up the fight.

Sporting KC are said to be sitting in “pole position” for Salah as it stands, with the World Cup no longer a distraction for the 34-year-old after Egypt’s dramatic, and controversial in the opinion of its management, exit at the hands of holders Argentina.

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The Exit That Stunned Liverpool's Supporters

Arne Slot (left) had a tense relationship with Mohamed Salah. | Liverpool FC/Getty Images

Salah’s departure from Liverpool a year before his contract was due to expire sent shockwaves around the world, but at the same time it wasn’t wholly unexpected.

Salah had butted heads with then-manager Arne Slot, who was sacked at the conclusion of the 2025–26 season, and publicly stated that he’d been “thrown under the bus” because of the Reds’ prolonged period of poor form. In Salah’s mind, he’d been scapegoated for the club’s poor form and not backed by the hierarchy.

Despite talk that Salah might swiftly leave in January, he ended up staying with Liverpool until the end of the season, eventually regaining his place in the team.

But the writing was on the wall for Salah, who then announced in March that a legendary career at Anfield that saw him become a two-time Premier League champion, a Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup winner, and a record four-time Premier League Golden Boot award winner was coming to a close.

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Is MLS Realistically an Option for Salah?

Salah could lace up his boots in MLS this summer. | Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar/Getty Images (Salah), Orlando Ramirez/Leagues Cup/MLS/Getty Images (MLS logo)

Salah still feels that he’s got something to offer at the top level of European soccer, but whether or not the elite are prepared to invest in the aging right winger is a different story.

On his day, Salah still has all the qualities that made him one of the world’s best. But his decline in pace and ineffectiveness tracking back was a factor in Slot dropping him from Liverpool’s side, and his impact in important games was greatly diminished. Top sides will find it difficult to look past that, hence why there’s been no Premier League or La Liga interest to speak of.

Türkiye has been speculated as a potential avenue for Salah to explore, with high wages on offer at some of the country’s biggest teams. But the opportunity to help grow the game in either the Saudi Pro League or MLS–where Salah would be a major superstar—is something that will appeal to Salah’s sporting ambition.

Sporting KC’s new majority owner, Peter Mallouk, has spoken of his commitment to increased investment in the club, and he’s also the son of Egyptian immigrants—a link that could help convince Salah to move to MLS. There’s also space for another Designated Player (DP) on the club’s roster, alongside Dejan Joveljic and Manu Garcia.

The Saudi Pro League haven’t yet made their move for Salah, but it would be unlikely at this stage if their interest was not formalized in some way. MLS teams will hope the success of the World Cup in the U.S., Mexico and Canada could help counterbalance the appeal of the Middle East to Salah, helping to evolve and grow the league to heights never seen before.

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