Mohamed Salah landed in Istanbul wearing Trabzonspor’s burgundy-and-blue colours as the Egyptian forward moved closer to a switch from Liverpool, with a large crowd gathering to welcome him at the airport.
Key takeaways
- Trabzonspor expect to complete the 34-year-old’s arrival on a free transfer at a presentation in the Black Sea city.
- Salah said he could hear the supporters and promised to see them shortly in a video released by the club.
- He departed Istanbul for a medical examination before a planned flight to Trabzon.
- The forward finished the 2024-25 Premier League campaign with 29 goals and 18 assists.
- Trabzonspor placed third in the Turkish Super Lig last season and will play in the Europa League qualifying play-off round.
Salah welcomed by Trabzonspor supporters
Trabzonspor announced on the previous day that discussions with Salah were under way. Club president Ertugrul Dogan said the team expected to secure the veteran’s signature without a transfer fee and unveil him at a ceremony in Trabzon today.
“Trabzon, are you ready? I can hear you. See you very soon,” Salah said in a message shared by the club on X. Wearing the team’s colours, he also repeated Trabzonspor’s motto: “Everywhere is Trabzon to us.”
After arriving at Ataturk Airport, Salah greeted the hundreds of fans gathered outside. He waved to the crowd and led them in a traditional chant before leaving for his medical and an onward journey east to Trabzon.
A decorated Liverpool career and Turkish challenge
Salah’s nine-year Liverpool spell ended this summer. He scored 257 times in 442 appearances, helping the club win two Premier League titles and one Champions League crown.
During the 2024-25 campaign, he struck 29 times in the Premier League and supplied 18 assists. That matched the competition’s highest total for goal contributions in a season and established a new benchmark for a 38-match campaign.
His achievements also earned him the Premier League Player of the Season award, the Golden Boot and the Playmaker Award. He became the first footballer to claim all three honours in the same season.
His form dropped during the following season, when he recorded seven goals and seven assists across 27 league appearances. He was also placed on the substitutes’ bench for Champions League matches, a situation that prompted a public disagreement with Arne Slot, Liverpool’s manager at the time.
Salah began his European career with Swiss club Basel in 2012 before moving to Chelsea. From 2015 to 2017, he spent short periods with Fiorentina and AS Roma, then made the move to Liverpool.
Trabzonspor are widely viewed as Turkey’s fourth-largest club behind Istanbul rivals Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Besiktas. They ended last season third in the Super Lig, earning a place in the Europa League play-off round, while their most recent league title came in 2021-22.
Salah had also been near a move to Besiktas, but those talks reportedly reached an impasse because of disagreements over financial terms and image rights.
The terms of the contract he is expected to sign with Trabzonspor have not yet been made public.
