Mohamed Salah set for Trabzonspor move after Liverpool exit

Mohamed Salah is set to begin the next chapter of his career at Trabzonspor after nine years with Liverpool, in a move that would take one of the Premier League era’s most decorated forwards into Turkish football.

Trabzonspor confirm talks over Salah

Trabzonspor announced on Tuesday evening that talks had started over Salah’s transfer. Shortly afterwards, the club said the Egypt international was due to arrive in Turkey on Wednesday, first landing in Istanbul before travelling on to Trabzon.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Salah is expected to sign a two-year contract with the Turkish side. The choice of destination has come as a surprise given the scale of interest previously linked with the player.

Salah had also been mentioned in connection with Fenerbahce, Besiktas and clubs from Saudi Arabia, but Trabzonspor now appear to have moved decisively.

An end to a major Liverpool era

Salah’s time at Liverpool stretched from 2017 to 2026 and established him as one of the defining figures of the club’s modern history. During that period, Liverpool won two English league titles, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

His departure does not appear to have come in ideal circumstances. The source material indicates Salah fell into conflict with head coach Arne Slot after being left on the bench following a run of below-par performances.

On the international stage, Salah also helped Egypt reach the round of 16 at the World Cup before their run was ended by Argentina.

Why the move matters for Trabzonspor

Trabzonspor finished third in the previous Turkish league season and are now preparing for a Europa League qualifying campaign. That creates the possibility of a meeting with Gornik Zabrze in the play-off round, provided the Polish side first get past Ferencvaros.

If that route opens up, Salah could find himself travelling to Zabrze with his new club in one of the more eye-catching ties of the qualifying phase.

There is also domestic intrigue around Trabzonspor’s opening league fixture against Kasimpasa, which could potentially pit Salah against Adrian Benedyczak.

Big investment in the squad

Turkish journalist Cinar Yucekurt reports that Trabzonspor have convinced Salah with a huge financial package. The forward is said to be in line to earn 23 million euros per season, while the overall cost of the deal is also expected to include an additional 20 million euros in agent commission and other clauses.

Salah is not the only notable arrival as Trabzonspor reshape their squad ahead of the new season.

• Ruslan Malinovskyi has arrived from Genoa.
• Aral Simsir has joined from Midtjylland.
• Noah Saviolo has been signed from Vitoria Guimaraes.
• Cenk Ozkacar has arrived from Valencia.
• Andre Onana has returned on loan from Manchester United.
• Ernest Muci has been signed from Besiktas.

For Trabzonspor, the pursuit of Salah signals clear ambition. For Salah, it is a striking new direction after a long and trophy-laden spell at Liverpool.