Trabzonspor open talks to sign Mohamed Salah and expect him in Istanbul for Wednesday medical

Trabzonspor have opened transfer negotiations to sign Egypt forward Mohamed Salah and said they expect him to arrive in Istanbul for a medical on Wednesday as they aim to complete the move later this week. “Negotiations have been launched ⁠to transfer professional footballer ⁠Mohamed Salah, ​who is in a free status, to our club,” the club said in a statement.

Salah left Liverpool this summer after nine years at the club, where he scored 257 goals in 442 appearances and won the Premier League twice and the Champions League once. In the 2024-25 season he 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, and was named Premier League Player of the Season while also winning the Golden Boot and the Playmaker Award. His output dropped last season to seven goals and seven assists in 27 league matches and he was left on the bench in Champions League games, which led to a public spat with Liverpool’s then-manager Arne Slot. The 34-year-old began his European career at Basel in 2012, later joined Chelsea and had brief spells at Fiorentina and Roma between 2015 and 2017 before moving to Liverpool.

Trabzonspor chair Ertugrul Dogan told broadcaster A Spor that the transfer was not yet completed but that Salah was expected to travel to Istanbul for the medical and then to Trabzon to finalise signing. Dogan did not confirm the exact timing for the contract but said the paperwork would likely be completed on Thursday.

The Turkish Super Lig club described themselves in a statement as launching negotiations to acquire Salah while he is a free agent. Trabzonspor are generally considered the fourth-biggest team in Turkey after Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Besiktas; they finished third in the Super Lig last season and will enter the Europa League playoffs.

Local media reported Salah had been close to joining Besiktas earlier in the window, but Besiktas football director Onder Ozen said those talks stalled over financial and image-rights demands. The Besiktas approach and its breakdown were cited by Turkish outlets as part of the wider transfer activity surrounding Salah this summer.

Salah is scheduled for a medical in Istanbul on Wednesday before travelling to Trabzon to complete formalities, with the club chair saying any contract would most likely be signed on Thursday.