Salah, 34, became a free agent after leaving Liverpool in June following a nine-year spell at Anfield that brought two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the Champions League.
He has long been linked with a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia, with Al-Hilal and Al-Qadsiah viewed as the likeliest destinations, but talks are understood to have hit a snag as club chiefs look to bring his salary demands down. Salah was reportedly earning around £400,000 a week at Liverpool following a new contract signed in April 2025.
Any move to Al-Hilal could see Salah reunited with former Liverpool chief executive of football Michael Edwards, who signed him for Liverpool from Roma back in 2017 and has been targeted by the Saudi club to take over as CEO since last summer, having recently stepped down from his role at Fenway Sports Group, reports The Sun.
Al-Hilal and Al-Qadsiah remain best placed financially to fund a deal for Salah amid a period of significant change in the Saudi Pro League. Al-Hilal's wealthiest private investor, billionaire prince Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud, has previously covered the full value of Karim Benzema's move to the club as well as financing all seven of Al-Hilal's signings during the 2025/26 winter window, while Al-Qadsiah are owned by state oil giant Aramco.
The Saudi Pro League's four state-backed clubs, including Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli alongside Al-Hilal, are reportedly being lined up for a full sale by the Public Investment Fund, which is said to be behind a recent slowdown in the league's transfer spending.
The PIF is understood to be looking to offload its own 75 per cent stake in each club along with the 25 per cent held by the ministry of sport.
Salah's next destination remains one of the more closely watched sagas of the summer, given his status as one of the Premier League's most decorated forwards of the past decade. Should the financial gap prove too difficult to close, alternative options may yet re-emerge, though Saudi Arabia remains regarded as his most likely next destination.