Mohamed Salah tipped to return to former club in shock transfer – but only on one condition

Mohamed Salah has been tipped for a move to Serie A to play for former club Roma but only if he’s willing to take a significant pay cut.

The Egyptian star recently revealed his departure from Liverpool in an emotional statement, addressing fans on social media.

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The 33-year-old only signed a two-year deal last summer but will not see out the final year of his contract.

Salah arrived from Roma in the summer of 2017 and, in that time, has become a legend for the club, returning the Reds to their glory days.

During his time on Merseyside he has won the Premier League twice, the Champions League, two Carabao Cups and the FA Cup.

Additionally, the modern day Liverpool icon has achieved numerous personal accolades including a record three PFA Player of the Year awards and four Premier League Golden Boots.

talkSPORT’s Andy Brassell has speculated on where the Egyptian will play next and said: “Money is presumably important to everyone.

“We all want to look after our family’s future and I wouldn’t criticise anyone for that. However, if money was Mo Salah’s only consideration surely he could have made the Saudi move happen already.

“If he was that into the idea, we would know about it, and in terms of the public record we have very little idea of what Mo Salah is thinking about.

“It is assumed he would go to Saudi Arabia because he’s an Arab superstar and he would be the biggest thing ever in terms of the Saudi Pro League but in terms of what he wants, he stayed at Liverpool for a reason.

“He had nothing more to prove there, he had done it all really – he could have made more money going somewhere else but from a romantic perspective, him going back to Roma is beautiful.

“I love it and it would be amazing if he could spend his last couple of years at the Stadio Olimpico in a Roma shirt.

“He would be incredible, he would be the best player in the league.”

Former Premier League star Kevin De Bruyne left Manchester City at the end of last season and moved to Napoli on a free transfer.

The Belgian was offered the legendary number 10 shirt that Diego Maradona had worn at the Italian club, however, he declined out of respect and opted for the number 11 instead.

The midfielder has struggled with a hamstring injury during his time in Serie A however in his 11 appearances he has still managed to score four goals and compete in the Champions League.

The highest paid footballer in Italy is Juventus‘ Dusan Vlahovic who earns an estimated amount of €22.2million (£19m) a year, while the current top-earning Roma player is Paulo Dybala, on approximately €7m (£6m) annually.

This would be a considerable wage drop for Salah after his time in the Premier League, where the winger earned roughly £21m per year.

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Meanwhile, Brassell has argued there’s a league barely being mentioned that would tick all of the Egyptian star’s boxes and said: “It could unify all of his potential interests and it would be Galatasaray or Fenerbahce in the Super Lig.

“I think they’re an obvious choice. If you’re talking about a desire to go and succeed in a Muslim country, Turkey is the place.

“It was interesting when Nicolas Anelka went to Fenerbahce, he felt quite strongly that he wanted to go and play in a Muslim country at that point in his career and it did a lot for him – it really changed him on a footballing and a personal level.

“The other side is you can get the biggest wages in Europe by playing for one of the biggest clubs in the Super Lig. You wouldn’t earn as much as you would in the Middle East but more than you would at another Premier League club and definitely more than you would at a Serie A club.

“You get to play in the Champions League and play in front of full stadiums where you would be worshipped. It does seem to tick a lot of boxes if you are Mo Salah, we can’t underestimate how quiet he has been on what he wants to do next.

“Maybe it takes him a few months or after the World Cup to decide but when he wants something he is not quiet about it.”

A move to Saudi Arabia has been the most speculated as the Saudi Pro League is already home to a host of world-class players from across the globe, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Salah’s former teammate Sadio Mane.

However, there may be one issue with the league that doesn’t align with the winger’s plans and that is the lack of Champions League football which has been incredibly impactful on his career, having scored 48 goals in the competition.