Salah's Liverpool Exit Planned Since December

According to Lewis Steele, Salah and his agent Ramy Abbas began talks to leave Liverpool around December, framing the announcement as the culmination of a longer strategy rather than a reactive decision. While the expectation was that Salah would leave, the surprise was that he would do so without any transfer fee.

Steele expressed 85-90% certainty that Salah will end up in Saudi Arabia, suggesting the player already has clarity on his next destination. The news has been described as a 'bombshell' for Liverpool supporters despite ongoing speculation about the Egyptian's future.