Salah’s Trabzonspor move is approaching its final stage, but the sporting impact is only half the story. Mohamed Salah arrived at Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport on Wednesday wearing the club’s burgundy and blue kit, with hundreds of supporters waiting to welcome him. The transfer, however, had not yet been formally completed as of August 5.
Trabzonspor confirmed on Tuesday that negotiations had begun with the former Liverpool forward. Club chairman Ertuğrul Doğan said the 34-year-old was expected to sign as a free agent at a ceremony in Trabzon on Thursday, August 6, subject to his medical and the remaining formalities.
What happened after Salah arrived in Istanbul?
Salah smiled, waved to supporters and led a traditional chant before leaving the airport for medical tests. A flight east to Trabzon was planned for later in the day.
The club had already prepared the reception with a promotional video. In it, Salah told supporters: “Trabzon, are you ready? I can hear you. See you very soon.” He also repeated Trabzonspor’s familiar club slogan while wearing the team’s shirt.
The presentation made the direction of travel fairly obvious, even if the paperwork remained less theatrical. AS reported on Salah’s arrival and described him as a Trabzonspor player, but the club’s disclosed position was still that negotiations were underway. No official announcement confirming a signed contract had been published by Wednesday.
That distinction matters because reports about the deal have moved ahead of the club before. Sports Digitale claimed on July 28 that an agreement in principle had been reached. Doğan publicly denied it at the time, saying the report had “nothing to do with reality.” A week later, Salah was standing in club colours at an airport. Transfer reporting remains an imperfect science.
How expensive could the free transfer become?
Trabzonspor would not pay Liverpool a transfer fee because Salah left the English club at the end of the 2025-26 season. That does not make the proposed deal inexpensive.
Turkish journalist Yağız Sabuncuoğlu reported that the terms under discussion included:
- A two-year contract
- An annual salary of €17 million
- A €5 million bonus
- A 20 percent share of shirt sales
Neither Trabzonspor nor Salah has confirmed those figures. If accurate, the salary alone would total €34 million over two years, before the reported bonus and merchandising arrangement.
The scale of that commitment deserves attention. Haber61, citing club figures, reported that Trabzonspor and its subsidiaries had net debt of 5.18 billion Turkish lira as of March 31. A major salary package would therefore be a calculated commercial bet as much as a football decision.
Salah remains one of the sport’s most recognisable players, and the proposed shirt-sales clause suggests both sides expect his profile to generate revenue. Whether those returns can offset the wider cost is another question, one that cannot be settled by a crowded airport reception.
Why Trabzonspor moved after Beşiktaş talks stalled
Salah had previously been linked with Beşiktaş. Anadolu Agency reported that discussions stalled because of financial demands from his agent, while local reporting also pointed to disagreements over image rights.
The interest in Istanbul was hardly subtle. Beşiktaş supporters had chanted for Salah during the presentation of Leandro Trossard, but enthusiasm from the stands did not resolve the contract terms.
Trabzonspor then emerged as the leading destination. The club finished third in the 2025-26 Süper Lig with 69 points, nine ahead of Beşiktaş, and qualified for the Europa League playoff round. It also carries a distinct position within Turkish football as the country’s leading major club from outside Istanbul, behind the traditional commercial power of Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş.
Signing Salah would strengthen that status and provide a substantial marketing boost. It would also raise expectations immediately. Trabzonspor last won the league in 2021-22, and a player arriving on the reported terms will not be treated as a decorative addition.
Which version of Salah would Trabzonspor receive?
Salah leaves Liverpool with 257 goals in 442 appearances across nine seasons. He won two Premier League titles and one Champions League trophy, establishing a record that requires little promotional assistance.
His 2024-25 campaign was especially productive. He scored 29 Premier League goals and supplied 18 assists, giving him 47 direct goal involvements. That matched the league’s single-season record and set a new high for a 38-match campaign.
He also became the first player to win the Premier League Player of the Season award, Golden Boot and Playmaker Award in the same campaign.
The most recent season was markedly different. Opta recorded seven goals and seven assists in 27 league appearances, while Salah was left on the bench for Champions League matches and became involved in a public dispute with then-manager Arne Slot.
That decline is relevant, though one season does not fully establish whether age, tactics, fitness or selection decisions caused it. Trabzonspor would be buying proven elite production, but also accepting the uncertainty that comes with a 34-year-old forward whose output fell sharply in his final Liverpool campaign.
What comes next for Salah and Trabzonspor?
Salah began his European career with Basel in 2012 before joining Chelsea. Loan spells with Fiorentina and AS Roma followed, then a permanent move to Roma and his transfer to Liverpool in 2017.
His expected arrival in Trabzon would now place him in a team preparing for both a domestic challenge and Europa League qualifying. The immediate steps are the medical examination, final contract approval and the planned signing ceremony on Thursday.
Until those are completed, Trabzonspor has secured the spectacle but not yet formally confirmed the player. If the deal is signed on the reported terms, the club will have made one of the most ambitious recruitment decisions in Turkish football, pairing Salah’s global commercial reach with a significant financial obligation and a clear performance risk.
