Al-Hilal are emerging as the most likely destination for Mohamed Salah should he decide to leave Liverpool and join the Saudi Pro League.

The Riyadh-based club have just cancelled the contract of Neymar, who is returning to Brazil to rejoin Santos.

Neymar played only seven games for Al-Hilal, after suffering a serious knee injury in a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in October 2023. He was signed from Paris St-Germain three months earlier for up to £86 million but has been allowed to leave the Saudi club by mutual consent.

Neymar’s deal was due to expire after Al-Hilal’s participation in this summer’s Fifa Club World Cup, and his departure allows space – and finance – in the squad for a marquee signing.

Salah has long been a target of the SPL – which owns a controlling stake in four clubs, Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr – and it is keen to sign him on a free transfer once his contract expires at Liverpool at the end of the season.

There is no chance of the 32-year-old leaving Anfield before then. However, the Fifa Council has approved regulations for the Club World Cup “which seek to address technicalities and equalise inconsistencies created by different registration periods… between participating clubs” in the competition.

In essence this means it is proposing an “exceptional” transfer window from June 1-10, prior to the start of the Club World Cup. That is ahead of the usual opening of the window, which this year is on June 12.

The new rules would give Al-Hilal the opportunity to try to sign Salah, or another player, so they could play for them in the Club World Cup, which runs from June 14 to July 13 in the United States.

The competition is extremely important to Al-Hilal and the profile of the SPL, and a signing such as Salah would be regarded as a major coup. Al-Hilal, Saudi Arabia’s sole representative and the four-time Asian champions, have been drawn in the same group as Real Madrid in the tournament.

Al-Hilal are the Saudi champions and they boast a number of former Premier League players, including Aleksandar Mitrovic, Rúben Neves and João Cancelo.

It had previously been thought that Jeddah-based Al-Ittihad were more likely to sign Salah, having made a failed £150 million bid in 2023. But the sense now is that Al-Hilal are favourites to succeed if the player can be persuaded to leave Liverpool.

The question for Al-Hilal is whether they should wait to see if they can sign Salah or try to secure another big name before the January window closes on February 3. They will not want to go to the Club World Cup with a weakened squad.

Liverpool hope forward will stay despite stalemate in negotiations

Talks over a new deal for Salah at Liverpool have stalled, after the Egyptian reiterated earlier this month that this would be his last season at the club.

The forward has suggested as much on numerous occasions in the past few months and there is no agreement as yet to extend a deal worth around £20 million a year. He would be offered substantially more by Al-Hilal should they decide to make a bid.

Liverpool have made proposals that show they want to keep the player – who is seventh on the all-time list of Premier League top-scorers with 176, one ahead of Thierry Henry – and Salah has indicated he wants to stay. Negotiations have been deadlocked, however, but there remains hope he will extend his stay.

The SPL has also been considering signing Casemiro from Manchester United, but is unwilling to meet the Premier League club’s expectation of a transfer fee for the 32-year-old. Al-Nassr, where he would link up with his friend and former Real Madrid and United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, have been the front-runners for the Brazilian this month.

It is believed that Casemiro, who turns 33 next month and is not likely to fit into the plans of United head coach Ruben Amorim, is open to the move, but the SPL only wants to sign him on a free transfer. Casemiro’s contract at United runs until 2026 so the club would have to take a significant hit on the £60 million they paid for the midfielder to release him.

Al-Nassr have created space in the squad for more foreign signings but are prioritising a move for Bayer Leverkusen forward Victor Boniface, while also showing interest in Aston Villa’s Jhon Durán.