FSG’s Potential 2025 Pre-Season Destination for Liverpool Indicates £90m Deal Nearing Completion, with Mohamed Salah’s Role Crucial

When Mohamed Salah reports for pre-season ahead of the 2025-26 season, fans are hoping it will be as a Liverpool player, rather than having just transferred on a free to a new club.

The Egyptian King is currently in the form of his life at Anfield – a remarkable feat for a forward who has already accumulated 328 goal involvements in Liverpool colours.

Salah has scored or assisted 29 times in 23 appearances across all competitions, a tally that surpasses any other player in Europe’s Big Five leagues.

Europe’s Top Five Leagues: Most Goal Involvements

Yet, Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), could soon see Salah sign a pre-contract with an overseas club, with just over two weeks remaining before the January transfer window opens.

As the 32-year-old nears the final six months of his contract, he has made it clear that FSG’s contract offer has not met his expectations.

Reports from last week hinted that there had been some movement in the deadlock between the two sides, and notably with Salah’s representative, Ramy Abbass.

In an unusual move for a player of Salah’s caliber, Abbass represents only him, bucking the common trend where most Liverpool players are represented by large agencies.

Salah isn’t the only player facing a contract standoff with FSG. The futures of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk are also uncertain.

While Van Dijk has kept his frustrations private, the situation isn’t ideal for Arne Slot as he aims to lead Liverpool to a Premier League title. Nevertheless, the manager has handled the pressure well, and the performances of the three out-of-contract players have remained unaffected — in fact, they have excelled.

As the team heads on their annual overseas pre-season tour next summer, they will hope to prepare for just their second-ever Premier League title defence.

Recently, a potential new destination has been suggested for Liverpool’s tour, possibly signaling positive movement in Salah’s contract talks, alongside a potential lucrative commercial deal.

Liverpool Set for New Kit Deal and Japan Tour in the works 

In previous years, Liverpool’s pre-season tours have been more subdued compared to other top clubs. Jurgen Klopp, known for his meticulous pre-season planning, preferred less time in markets like the United States or Asia-Pacific, focusing more on familiar environments for his squad.

While Liverpool still participated in commercial tours, they were not as extensive as FSG would have liked.

However, with Arne Slot now in charge, and while he doesn’t yet hold the same influence as Klopp, FSG has greater freedom to plan these trips. Reports from late last week indicate that FSG is considering a pre-season tour to Japan and Hong Kong next summer.

Why Japan? It is a crucial market for Adidas, the German sportswear giant, which has a history of encouraging clubs to launch new kits there.

This mirrors the situation when Newcastle United partnered with Adidas ahead of this season, creating a large marketing campaign in Japan for their third kit.

🚨 #NUFC third kit teaser from Japan….

👀 ⚪🟢 🔜 @adidas
pic.twitter.com/eqLtuM7OSc

— 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝘆𝗻𝗲 #NUFC (@ToonMouthTyne) July 29, 2024

Liverpool is believed to have signed a new deal with Adidas, although it won’t be confirmed for several months to honor their existing contract with Nike.

The new kit partnership is expected to represent a significant financial boost, with estimates suggesting it could be worth up to £90 million per season.

Mohamed Salah’s Role in FSG’s Adidas Deal

Liverpool’s commercial power is tightly linked with Salah’s influence. The forward is thought to earn around £1 million per week, with the majority of that coming from image rights and his personal brand endorsements.

Crucially, Salah is an Adidas athlete.

This connection would have played a pivotal role in FSG’s negotiations with Adidas. Salah has his own signature boots with the brand, and last year he was featured as one of the faces in their collaboration with luxury brand Gucci.