Mohamed Salah ‘meets Jordan Henderson for lunch as sad Liverpool star quizzes ex-Reds team-mate about taking part in soccer in Saudi Arabia amid uncertainty over his future’

Mohamed Salah was reportedly grilling his former Liverpool team-mate Jordan Henderson at a secret meeting in London this week as speculation continues to mount about his future.   

Salah has been the headline story over recent days following an explosive interview he gave to reporters after Liverpool’s 3-3 draw at Leeds on Saturday having been left on the bench at Elland Road.

Salah remarkably accused the club of throwing him under the bus and said he had no relationship with boss Arne Slot.

The outburst has led to suggestions Salah could leave Anfield in the upcoming January transfer window, with the Egyptian having previously been linked with a big-money move to the Saudi Pro League (SPL) along with the MLS. 

On Wednesday, SPL chief Omar Mugharbel admitted Salah was a target for the top clubs in the Middle Eastern league, while on Thursday MLS commissioner Don Garber launched a charm offensive for the 33-year-old. 

And, according to The Sun, Salah – who was left out of Liverpool’s squad for their win over Inter Milan on Tuesday – met Brentford star and former Reds captain Henderson in an upmarket restaurant in West London on Wednesday afternoon. 

The report claims the pair linked up at Italian eatery Scalini in Chelsea and given Henderson’s previous stint in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq, the meeting is likely to set tongues wagging. 

Salah was said to be deep in conversation with Henderson and listened attentively to what he had to say, after the pair initially tried to go undetected upon their arrival at the venue. 

Henderson only spent six months in the Middle East and left in January 2024 to join Ajax, but the report adds that the 35-year-old was speaking positively about his experiences and was ‘answering a lot of questions from Mo’.

A source told The Sun: ‘They both came in wearing Covid-style masks and had hats covering their faces. They tried to stay under the radar.

‘Our mouths dropped when we saw it was Mo and Jordan. The immediate thought was, “Salah’s off to Saudi”.’

Another onlooker added: ‘Mo looked happy as he listened and took it all in. He kept asking Jordan questions, and lent in eagerly to hear what was being said.

‘I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing. It was obvious Jordan was explaining things to Mo, who listened so intently and was clearly mulling over what he was being told.’

The pair are believed to have spent 90 minutes together and were seen eating pasta and drinking coffee and fizzy water. 

Speaking last Saturday after the Leeds game in the mixed zone, Salah had said: ‘I could not believe I was sitting on the bench for 90 minutes. That’s the third time. It’s the first time in my career I think.

‘(I am) very disappointed, I have done so much for this club over the years, especially last season. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That’s how I feel.

‘Someone wants me to get all the blame. The club promised me a lot in summer. Now I’m on the bench so I can say they haven’t kept those promises.

‘I used to have a good relationship (with manager Slot). Now we don’t have any relationship and I don’t know why.’

As Simon Jones reported for Daily Mail Sport, SPL clubs are waiting to see if peace can be brokered between Salah and Slot before making any approach for the unhappy Liverpool forward.

Liverpool maintain a stance that Salah only signed a new contract, worth in excess of £400,000-a-week, months ago and expect him to see that out. They have no plans to sell as they believe the issue with Slot can be resolved.

SPL sources, however, suspect that is an attempt by Liverpool to protect Salah’s transfer value and are keeping a keen eye on developments.

Talking at the World Football Summit in Riyadh earlier this week, SPL chief executive Omar Mugharbel said: ‘Mohamed Salah is welcome in the Saudi League, but it is the clubs that are responsible for negotiating with players.

‘For sure Salah is one of them [a target].’

Al Hilal, Al Qadisah and Neom are all understood to be interested should Liverpool, who rejected a £150m offer from Al Ittihad in 2023, give any encouragement that a deal could yet be done over the coming weeks. 

He has also been linked with Chicago Fire and San Diego in the MLS and on Thursday, league commissioner Garber said: ‘Obviously, if [Salah] ever decides to come to Major League Soccer, we’d welcome him with open arms.

‘I’d say he should reach out to Leo [Messi] and reach out to Thomas Muller 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.’

Liverpool are back in action against Brighton on Saturday in what will be the final Reds game before Salah heads off to AFCON with Egypt.

It remains to be seen whether Salah will be involved, and Slot is likely to be grilled on the issue in his press conference on Friday morning.