Mohamed Salah signs two-year deal with Trabzonspor and will wear number 10
Mohamed Salah has agreed a two-year contract with Turkish club Trabzonspor on Thursday following the expiry of his Liverpool contract and will wear the number 10 shirt for the 2026-27 season.
The move ends months of speculation that linked the 34-year-old with the Saudi Pro League and Major League Soccer, with clubs from both destinations reported to have expressed interest; instead Salah opted to remain in Europe by joining a team that finished third in last season's Super Lig. Trabzonspor will take part in this month's Europa League play-offs, with victory over two legs securing a place in the competition's league phase and defeat sending them into the Conference League, factors that reportedly weighed on Salah's decision after he helped Egypt reach the knockout stages of the summer World Cup and followed one of his finest campaigns in 2024-25.
Besiktas had attempted to sign Salah before negotiations faltered over the financial structure of a proposed deal, leaving an opening for Trabzonspor to secure his signature. The club, seven-time Turkish champions who won the Super Lig in 2021-22 and lifted last season's Turkish Cup, finished third under Fatih Tekke and will look to build around their new marquee arrival.
Salah received a high-profile welcome on arrival, with hundreds of supporters greeting him before he travelled on to Trabzon, and he briefly wore a symbolic number 61 shirt in tribute to the city during his unveiling. For the coming season he will wear number 10 after requesting the same digit he wears for Egypt; team-mate Ernest Muci agreed to relinquish the jersey as a gesture of respect.
Former Scotland midfielder Ryan Jack, who won the Scottish Premiership with Rangers in 2021 and has spent the last two seasons playing in Turkey, said: "That's one thing about Turkish football - the fans are incredibly passionate." He added that foreign players receive strong support from clubs and fans when they arrive: "Everyone helps you settle in and the people are really friendly. When foreign players arrive, the clubs do everything they can to help them."
The Super Lig has attracted several high-profile names in recent seasons, with Victor Osimhen, Leroy Sane, Ilkay Gundogan, Nathan Ake and Leandro Trossard among those now playing in Turkey, while Trabzonspor's squad already includes Andre Onana, Ruslan Malinovskyi and Stefan Savic. Last summer the Super Lig recorded the third-highest net transfer spend in world football behind only the Premier League and Saudi Pro League, and Turkish clubs' ability to generate substantial euro income from Uefa competition while many domestic costs remain in Turkish lira, combined with a prolonged period of high inflation that has reduced the relative value of existing domestic debt, has given clubs greater financial flexibility.
Reports in Turkey state Salah's contract runs until June 2028 and is worth around £7.3m per season, described as below the salary available in Saudi Arabia but with additional bonuses and a share of merchandise revenue linked to his name. On the field, Salah scored only seven league goals in his final season at Liverpool and finished that campaign with 12 goals across all competitions after falling out of favour under Arne Slot, having produced 34 goals and 23 assists in all competitions the previous season as Liverpool won the Premier League.
Trabzonspor expect to make Salah the focal point of their attack, typically deploying a 4-2-3-1 with the Egyptian on the right wing cutting inside onto his stronger left foot, while Fatih Tekke can also switch to a 4-3-3 without major changes to Salah's responsibilities. For the club his arrival immediately raises commercial opportunities and global profile; Jack said: "I think Liverpool fans, and people who love watching Salah, will definitely take notice and start following the league," and added: "When I moved there, my family and friends started watching games because they didn't really know much about Turkish football before. Salah's move will make people sit up and watch more of the league."
Salah's competitive debut for Trabzonspor could come on 15 August when they open their Super Lig campaign away to Kasimpasa, with attention then turning to a Europa League play-off against either Hungary's Ferencvaros or Poland's Gornik Zabrze.