The lead owner of San Diego FC has said he would love to sign Mohamed Salah for the MLS franchise this summer. The forward announced on Tuesday night that he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season after an agreement to end his contract was reached.
Salah joined the Reds from Roma in 2017 and has scored 255 goals to make him the club’s third all-time leading goalscorer. The 33-year-old has also lifted two Premier League titles along with a Champions League, an FA Cup and two Carabao Cups.
The Egyptian has previously been targeted by clubs in Saudi Arabia, with Liverpool turning down a £150million offer from Al-Ittihad in September 2023.
Salah is again expected to be the subject of interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia, but Sir Mohamed Mansour has revealed he would love to bring his compatriot to his club, San Diego.
"I would think any team around the world would be interested," he told talkSPORT. "He’s a great player, he’s a great professional, he’s maintained his athleticism and his professionalism.
"But the way we manage San Diego Football Club, like any business I manage, I have people that are responsible. In the management, we have Tyler Heaps, who’s a great sporting director, we have Mikey Varas, who’s a great coach - they’re the ones that will decide these things.
"Of course, we have to see how the fit is with the style of play we have. He’s done amazing things for Liverpool. If you go anywhere in the Middle East, not even Egypt, you’ll see Liverpool shirts with Mo Salah on the back. He’s world class.
Asked if he would explore the deal if it was up to him, Mansour added: "If I had a vote as a fan, yes, I would. But the decision… it’s a business.
"Sports today, people think it’s a ball and people running, no. We employ 180 people. So any decision that’s made has got to make sense. It’s got to fit with the style of play we have.
"There are many, many challenges, but any business has a challenge. So would we be honoured to have somebody like (Salah) and happy to have (him)? Of course, like anybody, I would be.
"But the decision is corporate. The decision is business. The decision is the fit and the style of play. We have the ‘Right to Dream’ style of play, which is different. That’s why our style of play is different. Whether this fits or that fits, it has to fit."
Don Garber, the MLS commissioner, said on Wednesday that the American league would love to welcome Salah.
“I couldn’t say that until he announced he was leaving Liverpool, but what a great player he would be in MLS,” Garber said. “And I think we would provide him with a great platform.”
While Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has already told his old club the only way they can replace Salah is by signing someone who is "box office".
“You have to buy someone who is box office, or you are not replacing him,” he told TNT Sport. "They have to be a top-end, top three (or) four wingers in the world to replace Mo Salah because that’s what Mo has been.”
Mohamed Salah will leave Liverpool at the end of the season and Fanatics has cut the price of this season's kits with 'M. Salah 11' printing.
