Egypt’s Mohamed Salah looks set to swap Liverpool for Turkiye’s Trabzonspor

Trabzonspor, a Turkish top-tier football club, has initiated transfer negotiations with Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian forward who is currently in free agency. The club's chairman, Ertugrul Dogan, announced this development on Tuesday, expressing hope to sign the player later in the week. Salah, who had recently parted ways with Liverpool following a nine-year tenure, is expected to undergo medical examinations in Istanbul on Wednesday. Trabzonspor's chairman revealed that the contract signing is anticipated to occur on Thursday.

Salah, a prolific scorer during his time at Liverpool, amassed an impressive 257 goals in 442 appearances, contributing to the team's success, including two English Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League victory. In the 2024-25 season, Salah scored 29 goals and provided 18 assists, setting records for most goal involvements in a single season and achieving the top goal-scoring and assisting performance in a 38-game campaign.

He was recognized as the Premier League Player of the Season and received the Golden Boot and Playmaker awards, becoming the first player to claim all three honors in a single season.

However, Salah's performance dipped last season, scoring only seven goals and seven assists in 27 league matches. This decline led to his exclusion from Champions League games and a subsequent public disagreement with Liverpool's manager, Arne Slot. Salah's professional football career began in Europe with Swiss club Basel in 2012, followed by stints at Chelsea, Fiorentina, AS Roma, and Liverpool.

Trabzonspor, regarded as the fourth-largest team in Turkey after Istanbul-based teams Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, and Besiktas, concluded the previous season in third place in the Super Lig and will participate in the Europa League playoff round. Despite Salah's previous interest in Besiktas, negotiations were halted due to financial and image rights concerns, as per Besiktas' football director, Onder Ozen.