When the LA Galaxy lost Gabriel Pec, it seemed like the obvious play was to chase a big name. Mohamed Salah’s name got floated. Los Angeles has money, a glamorous city, and a clear opening on the wing. It made sense on paper.
But the rumor mill never works the way you expect. Now the club reportedly leading the race for Salah is Sporting Kansas City. That’s not a typo.
Kansas City once tried to sign Cristiano Ronaldo before he went to Saudi Arabia. That didn’t happen. But the fact they made a run at him tells you ownership is willing to spend. And according to multiple reports, they’re now ahead of Inter Miami, the Chicago Fire and the Galaxy in the Salah sweepstakes.
The Salah situation
Egypt’s World Cup exit to Argentina only cranked up the chatter about Salah’s next move. He’s 34, still elite, and out of contract. Saudi clubs want him. Some European teams would love to bring him in. MLS has been a distant third in that conversation until this week.
MLS insider Tom Bogert broke the news on social media that Kansas City has emerged as a legitimate contender. But he also noted that Salah’s preference remains Europe or Saudi Arabia over a move stateside. So the gap between “interested” and “happening” is still wide.
No formal talks have started. No offers have been made. This is all speculation at this stage, but the signal is clear: Sporting KC wants to make a splash.
The selling points
Kansas City can’t offer the glitz of LA or Miami. What they can offer is something else entirely.
Salah would get to face old rivals on a regular basis. Lionel Messi is in Miami. Robert Lewandowski just joined the league. Thomas Müller and Son Heung-min are both in MLS now. Marco Reus is here too. The level of competition in the league has climbed fast, and that might matter to a competitor like Salah.
There’s also the Griezmann factor. Antoine Griezmann and Robert Lewandowski both arrived recently, and their presence could make the league feel more credible to a player who’s spent his prime in the Premier League and Serie A.
The obvious problem
Sporting Kansas City is currently dead last in the Western Conference. They’re bad. Not “needs a tweak” bad. Rebuild bad.
If Salah wants to play meaningful games and chase trophies, Kansas City is not that place right now. He’d be walking into a team that needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. That’s a very different ask than joining a ready-made contender.
Bogert reported that Salah would need to see a serious sporting project before he’d even consider it. Based on recent performances, that project doesn’t exist yet. KC has to show him something concrete — a plan, some pieces, a vision — before he takes that call seriously.
Is it impossible? No. The league has pulled off bigger surprises before. But right now, this feels like a long shot with a lot of momentum behind it anyway. And that’s what makes it interesting.
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