Mohamed Salah Warned Against US Move as MLS Clubs Eye Egyptian Footballer

Cairo, Egypt – As Mohamed Salah prepares to close the curtain on a glittering nine-year career at Liverpool, Egypt national-team director Ibrahim Hassan has urged the 33-year-old to resist overtures from Major League Soccer and remain on football’s brightest European stages.

Salah, who lifted two Premier League crowns and the Champions League during his Anfield tenure, has yet to announce his next destination after this season. While MLS Commissioner Don Garber has publicly declared the league would “love to see” the Egyptian star stateside, Hassan believes a trans-Atlantic switch would dim a legacy still very much in the making.

“Personally, I would prefer him to stay in Europe,” Hassan told On Sports. “I have heard about offers from Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and clubs in the Italian league. A move to the Major League? He would be far too out of the spotlight. You won’t remember Salah any more than I remember Messi now—I don’t even try to watch him.”

Hassan’s comments come amid mounting speculation that recent expansion side San Diego FC, owned by British-Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Mansour, is monitoring Salah’s situation. Mansour, speaking at a summit in Atlanta on Thursday, praised the winger as “probably one of the great players today,” adding that “any team that will get him… he will definitely be an asset.”

Yet Mansour stopped short of confirming any formal approach, stressing that recruitment decisions rest with San Diego’s sporting director and head coach. The club enjoyed a promising inaugural campaign last season, reaching the playoff semifinals, and views a marquee signing as the next step in its growth.

Should European options fail to materialize, Hassan endorsed the Saudi Pro League as a viable alternative, citing the presence of global icons like Cristiano Ronaldo. “A move to the Saudi league would be a good option,” he noted, highlighting the region’s financial muscle and competitive visibility.

Off the pitch, Salah’s influence remains immense. Mansour recalled how “the entire Egypt comes to a halt” whenever the forward plays, describing him as his favourite footballer of all time. Those sentiments, however, do little to alter the reality that Salah is currently nursing an injury and will skip Egypt’s ongoing training camp. The Pharaohs, fresh from a 4-0 friendly victory over Saudi Arabia in Jeddah, travel to Barcelona for a Tuesday meeting with Spain before heading to the World Cup in North America, where they have been drawn in Group G alongside Belgium, New Zealand and Iran.

With the tournament running from June 11 to July 19, Egypt’s medical staff will monitor Salah’s recovery closely, aware that his presence—or absence—could shape both the team’s fortunes and the next chapter of a career that continues to captivate audiences well beyond the banks of the Nile.