For a long time, Besiktas seemed to have the upper hand, but now Mohamed Salah’s new club is becoming clear. While the Egyptian is on the verge of a move to Turkey, it will be to the Black Sea.
Trabzonspor is on the verge of making the biggest transfer in the club’s recent history. Late Tuesday evening, the team that finished third in last season’s Süper Lig confirmed that negotiations with Mohamed Salah had “begun.” As a publicly traded club, Trabzonspor is required to disclose such news and is initially playing it safe in light of potential consequences on the stock market.
However, according to consistent media reports from Turkey, both parties are in complete agreement. The medical exam and signing are expected to take place as early as Wednesday evening, after the 34-year-old flies by private jet first to Istanbul and from there to the Black Sea.
So Istanbul is only planned as a stopover—after it had long appeared as though Besiktas was the destination for the free agent from Egypt. Sporting director Önder Özen confirmed three meetings with the sought-after player but complained about the financial demands made by his advisors.
Salah showed at the World Cup that he can still compete at the international level
Turkish media are now reporting on a two-year contract worth 17 million euros annually that awaits Salah in Trabzon. He most recently played for Liverpool FC for nine years, but the relationship between the player and the club had deteriorated last season. Under coach Arne Slot—who has since been fired—Salah was dissatisfied with his playing time.
At this summer’s World Cup, Salah, a key player for the Pharaohs, helped his country reach the Round of 16, where, however, a 2-0 lead against Argentina—who went on to finish as World Cup runners-up—was not enough. Salah contributed one goal and three assists in five matches—demonstrating that he can still compete at the highest international level.
With Trabzonspor, the winger will compete in the Europa League group stage playoffs. On August 20, the Turkish team will face either Ferencvaros Budapest from Hungary or Gornik Zabrze from Poland.