Didier Drogba has put Chelsea back into the conversation around Mohamed Salah just as the forward leaves Liverpool after a nine-year spell. Salah departs on July 1 after reaching an agreement to terminate his contract 12 months before it was due to expire. Drogba's line is the one doing the rounds: he would tell Salah to leave Liverpool and return to Chelsea, even if the final decision is not his to make.

Drogba's invitation to Salah

Speaking to Al-Axis TV and quoted by mirror.co.uk, Drogba said: "If I am selfish, I will tell Salah to leave Liverpool and return to Chelsea." He added that Salah's future is "his decision alone and his future" and that he would be "one of his fans" wherever he goes.

That is a pretty direct invitation, and it lands because Drogba is not pretending the choice is settled. He also made the football case in simple terms, saying Salah understands what he is doing, is good at scoring and creating goals, and only needs the confidence of the coach.

The move is not confirmed, and the sources do not say Chelsea are guaranteed to land him. But Drogba's public push gives the departure story a very different feel from a standard contract exit.

The Liverpool exit behind the noise

The reason the reaction has travelled so far is obvious enough. Salah scored 257 goals in all competitions for Liverpool across his nine years at Anfield, which is a serious body of work by any standard. The reported £350,000-a-week deal also made him the highest-paid player in Liverpool's history.

This season has also ended with Liverpool fifth in the Premier League, which adds another layer to the timing of the departure. The Liverpool Echo says 12 players are officially saying farewell on June 30, including Andrew Robertson and Ibrahima Konaté, so Salah is leaving in the middle of a wider turnover rather than as a lone case.

There is still uncertainty around what comes next, and the reports do not lock him to one destination. That is why Drogba's Chelsea appeal has cut through so quickly. It is a veteran voice backing a return to a club where Salah made only 13 Premier League appearances before moving on.

For now, the concrete part is the exit itself. Salah leaves Liverpool on July 1, and the next chapter remains open when that agreement takes effect.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →