Trabzonspor aim to sign Mohamed Salah this week after opening transfer talks
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Trabzonspor have opened negotiations to sign Mohamed Salah, with the Turkish Super Lig club's chair hoping to complete the deal for the free-agent Egyptian forward this week. The move follows Salah's departure from Liverpool this summer after nine years at the club, and comes after a rival approach from Istanbul side Besiktas reportedly stalled over financial and image-rights demands.
Trabzonspor chair Ertugrul Dogan said Salah is expected in Istanbul for a medical on Wednesday before travelling to Trabzon to sign, with a contract likely to be finalised on Thursday. Salah, 34, leaves Liverpool having scored 257 goals in 442 appearances and won two Premier League titles and one Champions League, though his form declined last season amid a public dispute with then-manager Arne Slot. Trabzonspor, regarded as Turkey's fourth-biggest club, finished third in the Super Lig last season and will compete in the Europa League playoffs.
- Trabzonspor in talks to sign free agent Mohamed Salah this week
- Medical set for Wednesday, contract signing expected Thursday
- Rival move to Besiktas reportedly collapsed over financial terms
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Trabzonspor, based on Turkey's Black Sea coast, are one of the country's traditionally strong clubs and are currently looking to strengthen their squad after finishing third in last season's Super Lig, which has earned them a place in the Europa League qualifying rounds. Mohamed Salah is a 34-year-old Egyptian forward who spent nine years at Liverpool, becoming one of the Premier League's most prolific attackers, but he left the club as a free agent this summer after his final season was overshadowed by tension with then-manager Arne Slot.
A move to Turkey would mark a significant step down in competitive level from the Premier League, though Turkish clubs have increasingly attracted high-profile players in recent years. Besiktas, another major Istanbul club, had also been in talks with Salah but those reportedly broke down over money and image-rights terms, leaving Trabzonspor as the frontrunners to complete a deal.
The story matters both for football fans following one of the sport's best-known players as he decides the next chapter of his career, and for Turkish football, where signing a player of Salah's profile would be seen as a notable coup for the domestic league.
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