The Athletic reported that Sporting Kansas City holds pole position among Major League Soccer clubs interested in signing Mohamed Salah following the forward’s departure from Liverpool. Sources briefed on the matter told the publication that several other MLS teams registered interest in the Egyptian international, yet the Kansas City franchise leads the domestic chase. The report stressed that any deal would constitute a long shot because of heavy Saudi Pro League involvement and because sources indicate Salah prefers to remain in Europe, but as he mulls his options he remains open to a move to MLS.
Peter Mallouk, the new majority owner of Sporting Kansas City and the son of Egyptian immigrants, has driven the club’s aggressive interest in Salah as a marquee addition. The Athletic detailed how Mallouk views the 34-year-old as a transformative figure who could elevate the entire franchise during its current transitional period. Sporting Kansas City mutually parted ways with longtime coach and sporting director Peter Vermes in March 2025 after he oversaw a historically dismal 2025 campaign that American Soccer Analysis data ranked as the worst expected goal differential in its database stretching back to 2013.
New sporting director David Lee has taken charge of roster construction under head coach Rapha Wicky, with the club sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference with 11 points through 14 matches this season. The Athletic noted that Sporting Kansas City already fields two designated players in Dejan Joveljić and Manu García, both of whose contracts surpass the league’s salary limits. MLSsoccer.com figures show that league rules for 2026 permit a third designated player whose compensation above the $803,125 maximum budget charge falls on the club, with the option to buy down the charge using general allocation money to no lower than $150,000.
The Athletic added that Sporting Kansas City is simultaneously pursuing other significant acquisitions to accelerate its rebuild, including French midfielder Yann Gboho from Toulouse and Brazilian forward Andre Luiz from Olympiacos. Negotiations for both players have advanced, with transfer fees projected in the $18 million to $20 million range according to sources cited in the report. Gboho contributed 10 goals and three assists in 35 appearances last season, while Luiz has delivered seven goals and six assists across prior campaigns at Rio Ave and Olympiacos.
Salah agreed to leave Liverpool at the end of the 2025-26 season after the club announced the decision in March 2026, allowing him to depart on a free transfer a year before his contract expired, ESPN reported at the time. The forward posted seven goals and seven assists in 2,150 Premier League minutes during a disappointing final campaign at Anfield, a steep decline from the 29 goals and 18 assists that powered Liverpool to the 2024-25 title the previous year. His availability intensified after Egypt’s round-of-16 exit against Argentina at the 2026 World Cup, which concluded just days before The Athletic published its account of the MLS pursuit.
The designated player rule, which Major League Soccer introduced in 2007 to enable high-profile signings such as David Beckham, continues to shape club strategies across the 30-team league. Sporting Kansas City’s approach under its new leadership reflects an effort to leverage that mechanism for immediate impact. Sources told The Athletic that the club has made clear its intention to fill the open designated player slot with a global name if Salah or a comparable talent becomes attainable.
