Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber has encouraged Mohamed Salah to seek out Lionel Messi and Thomas Müller for personal endorsements about playing in North America.
Salah’s future has suddenly become a topic of global debate. A very public falling out with Liverpool manager Arne Slot climaxed with the sidelined winger hinting that Saturday’s clash with Brighton & Hove Albion could very well be his final appearance at Anfield.
The Saudi Pro League has predictably been billed as Salah’s most likely destination, but speculation over a switch to MLS has also been floated. Garber had the perfect people in mind to write a glowing recommendation about his league.
“Obviously, if [Salah] ever decides to come to Major League Soccer, we’d welcome him with open arms,” Garber was seen telling assembled reporters this week. “I’d say he should reach out to Leo [Messi] and reach out to Thomas Müller and see how happy they’ve been and how successful they’ve been and how much they’ve really embraced being in Major League Soccer.”
Messi is so happy with the life he’s forged on and off the pitch at Inter Miami that he committed to three more years in Florida with a recent contract extension.
Müller has a deal with Vancouver Whitecaps until December 2026 and has spoken with deep affection for his new home in Canada. The same can be said for LAFC’s star forward Son Heung-min, but the prospect of adding another world star to the league’s celebrity roster is something Garber isn’t getting ahead of himself about.
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For all his excitement about the Salah speculation, Garber warned that no MLS club would go out of their way to derail his Liverpool career. “I’ve seen some rumors about Mo Salah,” he mused. “We very much believe in the sanctity of a contract; that’s an American business dynamic. Mo’s under contract to Liverpool, people we know. It’s a great team.”
At this point in time, it appears as though Liverpool are still intent on keeping the third all-time top scorer in the club’s history. However, Salah could theoretically push for a move away if this feud with Slot is maintained.
The prevailing theory has it that January switch for Salah to MLS is unlikely. The financial outlay required to make such a move happen would stretch most clubs amid the strict economic regulations of the U.S. top flight.
Inter Miami have mastered the manipulation of those rules in recent years yet the Herons appear to be prioritising other areas of the pitch. San Diego FC are billed as the “leading” candidate to sign Salah by The Athletic, which seems to almost entirely revolve around the fact that their owner is British-Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Mansour.
Intriguingly, Chicago Fire have also been put forward as another contender to consider. The club spearheaded by former U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter have previously been in the market for big names, with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Neymar Jr. the subjects of past flirtations.
In a roster where Jonathan Bamba and Hugo Cuypers fill two of the three Designated Player spots, there would undoubtedly be room for Salah as well.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLS Commissioner Makes Lionel Messi Plea to Mohamed Salah.