Salah, a king still without a kingdom
The World Cup is in the books, pre-season is back, and yet some big names are still nowhere to be seen. Mohamed Salah is one of them. Nine seasons at Liverpool, a stack of records, then the split was sealed in May when his contract was torn up a year early.
His last campaign looked ordinary by his standards, with 12 goals and 10 assists in all competitions. Ordinary deserves the scare quotes, though: in 2024-25, the Egyptian stacked up 57 goal involvements in a single season, including 34 goals. Worth remembering before anyone writes him off.
He still delivered on the biggest stage, too, dragging Egypt into the round of 16 at the last World Cup, where only five players created more chances in open play than him. The Besiktas link has gone cold. That leaves MLS and Saudi Arabia.
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Vlahovic and Goretzka, two names that raise questions
Dusan Vlahovic is leaving Juventus after 68 goals in 168 matches. The Serbian hit double figures in each of his four full seasons in Turin, but never got past 20. This exit has more to do with his wage demands than his ability. Injuries, though, have put some suitors off. Besiktas and Barca, who are looking for a successor to Lewandowski, have both been linked.
Leon Goretzka, meanwhile, is heading back to where it all started. He arrived in Munich on a free eight years ago and now leaves on a free, with seven league titles and a Champions League medal to his name. At 31, the German is still posting strong duel numbers, and a club in Serie A, Milan or Juventus, looks the likeliest next stop.
A long queue
Behind them, the list keeps going. Jadon Sancho is trying to rediscover the player who lit up Dortmund. Franck Kessie, whose 11 penalties in Serie A in 2020-21 remain a freak statistical blip, is being tipped for a return to Italy. Julian Brandt, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Raphael Guerreiro round out a market with no shortage of quality.
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