Sporting Kansas City have emerged as a surprise frontrunner in the race to sign free agent Mohamed Salah following his departure from Liverpool this summer.
The Egyptian forward has been without a club since his Liverpool contract expired, attracting significant interest from the Saudi Pro League and beyond.
Major League Soccer clubs have been making calls to assess Salah’s availability, with Sporting KC now among the most serious pursuers, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Saudi Pro League clubs remain determined to bring Salah to the Middle East, but salary demands have complicated those negotiations, according to The Sun.
The Athletic reports that Sporting Kansas City are looking to capitalise on those complications and could offer Salah an alternative path forward in his career.
The club’s push for Salah is being driven by majority owner Peter Mallouk, whose family has Egyptian roots and who is eager to transform Sporting KC’s fortunes.
Mallouk addressed the speculation publicly on X, writing: “Promises made will be promises kept. Lots of conversations happening. One way or another, this team will be significantly better in the second half, much better by the sprint season.”
Sporting KC currently sit bottom of the MLS Western Conference and are expected to use an available Designated Player slot to bring in a high-profile name.
It remains surprising that Sporting Kansas City leads MLS interest in Salah ahead of clubs in larger markets such as Inter Miami, LAFC, and the New York Red Bulls.
Inter Miami’s roster features Barcelona legends Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba, while LAFC signed Son Heung-min and the LA Galaxy previously attracted David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Salah has not ruled out a move to MLS as he considers his next step following Egypt’s dramatic last-16 World Cup defeat to Argentina.
Sporting KC are also pursuing Toulouse winger Yann Gboho and Olympiacos attacker Andre Luiz, with both deals potentially worth between $18 million and $20 million.
Negotiations for Andre Luiz are understood to be at a more advanced stage than those for Gboho as the club builds toward a stronger second half of the season.
Salah ended a glittering nine-year Anfield spell having scored 257 goals and recorded 123 assists across 442 appearances for Liverpool, cementing his place as one of the club’s all-time greats.
His final Liverpool season yielded only seven league goals and seven assists, a significant drop from the previous campaign where he contributed 29 goals and 18 assists in a title-winning year.
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