Didier Drogba has put Mohamed Salah back at the centre of a Chelsea conversation that had long felt unrealistic. He said, "If I am selfish, I will tell Salah to leave Liverpool and return to Chelsea," after Salah became a free agent when Liverpool agreed to terminate his contract 12 months early. Salah leaves on 1 July after a nine-year stint at Anfield and 257 goals across all competitions.
Drogba's case for a Chelsea return
Drogba did not dress it up as anything more than a wish, but it is still a strong one. He added that Salah would remain the best whether he stayed at Liverpool or moved, and said any other team would perform better with him because he understands what he is doing, is good at scoring and creating goals, and only needs the confidence of the coach.
That view is not coming from nowhere. Salah's Liverpool deal was reportedly worth upwards of £350,000 per week, so Liverpool were always dealing with an elite-level player both on the pitch and on the balance sheet. The size of the commitment helps explain why his exit is such a significant break with the recent past.
Why the move feels different now
The free-agent status is the part that changes the conversation. Salah is no longer tied to Liverpool, and his next club has yet to be confirmed, which leaves room for the sort of speculation that would have been easy to dismiss while he was still under contract.
There is still no confirmation of a return to Chelsea, and nothing in Drogba's comments changes that. It is still just Drogba's view, not a deal, but the idea has more life now than it would have had before Liverpool ended the contract early.
Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League, so a Salah move there would be a statement rather than a tidy football fit. He first joined from Basel in January 2014 for approximately £11 million, made only 13 Premier League appearances for Chelsea before loan moves to Fiorentina and Roma, and then turned into one of Liverpool's defining scorers.
Drogba's pitch is still hypothetical, but the opening is real. Salah is a free agent, Liverpool have moved him on early, and Chelsea's name is now back in the frame because one of their biggest former players said it out loud.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →