Why is Mohamed Salah leaving Liverpool, and which club will he join next?

EXPLAINERAl Jazeera explains the Liverpool and Egypt icon’s departure from the Premier League and what happens next.Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has announced his exit from the Premier League club at the end of the season, but questions surrounding his next destination and the reasons behind his departure remain unanswered.The 33-year-old Egyptian star confirmed the news on Tuesday in a video message on social media, calling it the “first part” of his farewell.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Italy headline the final push by UEFA teams for FIFA World Cup 2026 placeslist 2 of 4World Cup security concerns grow in US as funding stallslist 3 of 4Palestinian FA calls for Israeli ban after FIFA discrimination reportlist 4 of 4Eritrea to end 18-year AFCON isolation by playing Eswatini in qualifierend of listSalah will depart on a free transfer despite having 12 months remaining on his contract.Here’s what we know about Salah’s departure:Why is Salah leaving Liverpool?While he hasn’t spelled out a reason for his departure, Salah said earlier in the season that his relationship with Liverpool manager Arne Slot was nonexistent.The fan favourite accused the club of making him a scapegoat for the English champions’ poor start to the Premier League season and claimed he was “thrown under the bus” after Liverpool’s 3-3 draw at Leeds in December.“I don’t know why, but it seems to me that someone doesn’t want me in the club,” Salah had said at Elland Road.While the news may have come as a shock to his fans, British media have been speculating about a summer transfer for Salah for some time.Where will Salah go next?Despite ongoing speculation about his future and his links to a number of clubs around the world, it’s unclear where Salah could go next.“We do not know where Mohamed will play next season. This also means that no one else knows,” Ramy Abbas Issa, Salah’s agent, said in a post on XSalah has been linked with the Saudi Pro League for a couple of years with Riyadh-based club Al-Ittihad leading the headlines for a reported move for the Arab football star, but their rivals Al-Hilal are also in the mix now.