Despite Jurgen Klopp’s admission, Roberto Firmino may have hinted at Mohamed Salah’s departure.

Could Mohamed Salah eventually reunite with his former Liverpool strike partners given Roberto Firmino’s move to Saudi Arabia and reports of a possible reunion involving Sadio Mane?

After becoming the most well-known player to transfer to the Saudi Pro League, Roberto Firmino might be reunited with a former Liverpool teammate.

Following the expiration of his Reds contract, the Brazilian’s move to Saudi Arabia was officialized on Tuesday night. He joins Cristiano Ronaldo in moving to the Gulf state, joining other players like Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy, and Marcelo Brozovic who are also making the move this summer.

The Saudi Public Investment Fund, which also owns Newcastle United, took control of Al-Ahli, one of four Saudi Arabian clubs, last month. It seems to make no difference that they played in the second division last year.

The most recent reports indicate that Al-Ahli is already looking to complete its third high-profile signing of the summer with another well-known face the target of their desires. Mendy joined Al-Ahli after joining from Chelsea last month.

Sadio Mane is reportedly being pursued by Al-Ahli from Bayern Munich in an effort to reunite with both his former Liverpool strike partner and fellow Senegal international, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Mane moved from Liverpool to Bayern last summer in a deal that could have cost up to £35 million, but it’s been reported that Thomas Tuchel’s hiring as the new manager of the team in Bavaria has already rendered Mane unnecessary. In the end, the 31-year-old struggled in Munich, scoring just 12 goals in 38 appearances across all competitions—27 of which were starts—and making just 25 Bundesliga appearances.

Injury certainly did not help; a leg issue that required surgery in the middle of the season kept him out for more than three months and prevented him from competing in the World Cup. However, Mane was not used as a substitute against Koln on the final day as they were declared champions thanks to a late goal from fellow substitute Jamal Musiala, making the Bundesliga championship the only significant trophy won by Bayern.

A fight with teammate Leroy Sane during Bayern’s Champions League loss to Man City ultimately signaled Mane’s demise, if he is indeed sold this summer. The Senegalese was punished with a fine of £250,000 and a one-match suspension after it was claimed that he punched the German, leaving him with a bloodied lip.

For the record, Mane has already stated that he plans to remain at Bayern this summer. However, rumors that he’s leaving continue, and the Bavarians are pushing to sign Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur.

Many nostalgic Liverpool fans would likely smile at the prospect of a reunion with Firmino if the forward were to leave Bayern. The two players, who joined the Reds in 2015 and 2016, respectively, won every trophy at Anfield, including the Premier League and the Champions League, and contributed 231 goals and 110 assists in 631 appearances.

Together with Mohamed Salah, they made up two-thirds of Jurgen Klopp’s deadly triumvirate in attack, and the three propelled the Reds to English, European, and global glory while solidifying their place in Anfield lore.

Though his affection for his former teammate is well-known, it is unknown whether Mane would actually consider moving to Saudi Arabia.

Bobby Firmino is by far and away my favorite person I’ve met in this industry, though I’ve met many nice people. In a recent three-part series on the Brazilian on LFC TV, the 31-year-old said, “He’s my favorite teammate.

“Bobby made a modification to my football. He simplifies things so you don’t have to make them more difficult. Bobby is standing next to you when you get the ball, giving you a choice.
Both myself and the team benefited from .
it.

There isn’t a chant that compares to Bobby’s in my opinion. I occasionally listen to it while at home. It’s so unique, which I love. Sometimes you just have to sing it if you love the man as well. Better than my own song, I can sing Bobby’s.

Only time will tell whether his former teammate’s reunion will be enough to tempt him. However, reports indicate that Al-Ahli are quite enamored with the idea.

Which begs the question: Could they be planning a future move for Salah to complete the set if they reunite Firmino and Mane?

Even though he has a contract with Liverpool through 2025, the Egyptian is still frequently mentioned in connection with a move to Saudi Arabia. As the most well-known Muslim football player in the world, he would obviously be a dream acquisition for the Saudi Pro League.

Hafez Al-Medlej, a Saudi football official, stated last month that “we must also begin working on the signing of Mohamed Salah since he is overwhelmingly popular in the Arab world and in Europe.”. “I hope that if Salah doesn’t come now, he will in the future because I think he still has records to break with Liverpool. ”.

Salah is showing no signs of slowing down after scoring 30 goals for Liverpool once again this season. It goes without saying that Liverpool made the right decision in terms of which one of the trio to retain into their senior years, given Mane’s struggles last year and Firmino’s sporadic injury problems after slipping down Klopp’s pecking order.

Last summer, the Egyptian earned more than £350,000 a week, making him the highest-paid player in Reds history. He continued to score goals and provide assists. While there will come a time when Liverpool wants such terms off their wage bill, for now, as long as Salah keeps producing in front of goal, they won’t want to see his time with the team end.

After all, Klopp has given the forward his blessing to continue playing at the highest level well into his mid-thirties, much like Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski.

In September 2021, Klopp stated, “I’ve never spoken to Mo about how long he wants to play, but he has all the things you need to do that. “He is more physically similar to Lionel Messi, obviously; we’re talking about similar height and weight, probably; so all these guys need to be lucky with the injuries.”.

They had some wounds, but they were able to recover from them without suffering any more damage. That is incredibly crucial. You have to be extremely lucky, but Mo has everything you need, and I’m pretty sure that given the way he views football, he wants to continue playing it in some capacity for as long as he can.

No reason exists why he shouldn’t be able to do that, either. Obviously, attitude is key if you want success. I have a good feeling that a few players ended their careers because they were unable to be that motivated; they would say things like, “I want this or I want that, but I am not the same as I was a few years ago.”. People complete their careers for this reason.

“With Mo, I don’t see that happening; I’m pretty sure Mo wants to make the most of every day of his career, yes. “.

There is no reason why Salah can’t continue to produce for the Reds given that Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Luka Modric, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luis Suarez all thrived in major European leagues well into their mid-30s before making recent moves to Saudi Arabia, South America, and the USA.

As Klopp previously suggested, he also has the hunger, so a move to Saudi Arabia probably won’t happen anytime soon. After all, he won’t be 34 when his Liverpool contract expires.

It’s unclear if another extension will be discussed in the coming months, but if Salah has yet another season with 20-30+ goals in 2023/24, you’d think Anfield officials would be eager to hold talks and find out what the Egyptian wants to do next.

His Liverpool career will continue if he keeps producing in front of goal and harbors dreams of winning the Premier League and the Champions League again. Saudi Arabian factions will come to tempt him if that doesn’t happen.

The possibility of a future “dream” reunion with the Egyptian King of the Reds could be even more alluring for the Saudi club if Al-Ahli intend to pair Firmino, who signed a three-year contract with the club, with Mane once more this summer. Even though Father Time prevented the trio from remaining together indefinitely at the highest level, their names will always be synonymous with one another.

Of course, nobody wants to wish Salah’s remaining years at Anfield away in favor of seeing him follow his former strike partners out the exit. There are still many more goals to be scored and trophies to be won. But it seems fairly certain that Saudi Arabia will eventually make a move for the 31-year-old, and it will be up to the forward to decide if and when he does so.

There has been some controversy surrounding the recent transfer activity in the Arab nation, and nostalgia alone won’t turn people away. But if Saudi Arabia is to be the new semi-retirement home for some of the world’s best players, at least the prospect of one last ride for Salah, Firmino, and Mane could be a fitting end, regardless of location, for three of Liverpool’s best players.