Egypt’s World Cup exit left Mohamed Salah available as a free agent, and Sporting Kansas City has moved to the front of the MLS line for him. Several MLS clubs have shown interest, but Sporting has positioned itself as the league’s leading suitor for the Egyptian forward, according to reporting from Pitchside US.
The Ownership Connection
The pursuit starts at the top. Sporting’s new majority owner, Peter Mallouk, is the son of Egyptian immigrants, a personal tie that could carry real weight in any negotiation. Mallouk hasn’t been shy about the club’s intent, saying “promises made will be promises kept” and pointing to plenty of ongoing conversations behind the scenes.
It’s a familiar blueprint. Inter Miami leaned on ownership relationships and lifestyle appeal to land Lionel Messi, and Sporting appears to be running a version of the same play, pairing a cultural connection with a willingness to spend.
The Roster Math
Sporting already carries two designated players in Dejan Joveljić and Manu GarcÃa, whose contracts sit above the league’s standard salary limits. The club has an open third designated-player slot it wants to spend on a global name, and that mechanism remains MLS’s main tool for chasing players who command bigger salaries elsewhere.
Salah isn’t the only target. Sporting is also pursuing Toulouse winger Yann Gboho and Olympiacos winger Andre Luiz, with both deals discussed in the $18 million to $20 million range. Those parallel moves suggest the club is rebuilding its attack top to bottom rather than banking everything on one marquee arrival.
Why It Stays a Longshot
The odds still favor Salah landing elsewhere. The Saudi Pro League has strong interest, and sources indicate the forward would prefer to stay in Europe, though he hasn’t shut the door on MLS entirely. That lines up with where the league sits in the global pecking order: able to compete for elite names, but still working against European prestige and Saudi money.
The broader shift is real, though. MLS has moved past its reputation as a retirement stop, and the Messi signing reset expectations about which players the league can realistically chase. For Sporting specifically, going after a player of Salah’s caliber marks a break from the club’s traditional model of developing young talent.
Whether Salah picks Kansas City, Saudi Arabia, or a return to Europe, the fact that Sporting is a serious name in the conversation says something about where the club and the league now stand. Even a swing-and-miss would tell other established stars that an MLS side in Kansas City is ready to spend to win.
