Mohamed Salah arrives in Istanbul ahead of expected Trabzonspor transfer

Mohamed Salah arrived smiling at an Istanbul airport on Wednesday wearing Trabzonspor’s burgundy and blue kit ahead of ⁠his expected move to ⁠the Turkish Super Lig ​side, as hundreds of fans jostled for a glimpse of the Egyptian forward.

Trabzonspor announced on Tuesday they were in negotiations with ⁠Salah and the club chairman, Ertugrul Dogan, said they expected to sign the 34-year-old on a free transfer at a ceremony in the Black Sea city on Thursday.

“Trabzon, are you ⁠ready? I can hear you. See you very soon,” Salah said in a video posted by the club ​on X. “Everywhere is Trabzon to us,” he added ‌while wearing a Trabzonspor kit, referring ‌to the club’s motto.

Upon arriving at Ataturk Airport, Salah was met by hundreds of fans. He waved ‌at supporters and initiated a traditional chant with them, before departing for a medical check and a later planned flight east to Trabzon.

Salah left Liverpool this summer after nine ‌years, having scored 257 goals in 442 appearances, where he won the Premier League twice and the Champions League once.

In the 2024-25 season Salah scored 29 Premier League goals and provided 18 assists, equalling the league record for most goal involvements in a season and setting the record for a 38-game campaign. He was named Premier League Player ‌of the Season and won the Golden Boot and the Playmaker Award, becoming the first player to take all three in one campaign.

His output ​waned last season, with seven goals and seven assists in 27 league matches and he was left on the bench in Champions League games, leading to a public spat with Liverpool’s then-manager Arne Slot.

The 34-year-old began his career in Europe at Swiss side Basel in 2012 and ⁠later joined Chelsea. He also had brief stints at Fiorentina and Roma between 2015 and 2017 ​before joining Liverpool.

Trabzonspor – generally ​considered to be the fourth-biggest team in Turkey after Istanbul ​sides Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, and ‌Besiktas – finished third ​in the Super Lig ​last season and will enter the Europa League playoffs.

Salah had been close to joining the Istanbul club Besiktas, whose football director Onder Ozen said negotiations had stalled over financial and image-rights demands, according to local media.