Mohamed Salah completed his move to Trabzonspor on Thursday, ending a summer of speculation about where he would land after leaving Liverpool. Hundreds of fans met him at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, several already wearing Trabzonspor shirts before he had signed a single document. The club confirmed his official unveiling for Thursday evening at Papara Park, with kickoff on the ceremony set for 17:30 BST.
The deal is a free transfer on a two year contract running through the summer of 2028, according to CBS Sports. Salah is 34 years old. He leaves Liverpool with 257 goals in 442 appearances across nine seasons, the third highest total in the club’s history.
| Detail | Confirmed information |
|---|---|
| Previous club | Liverpool (2017 to 2026) |
| New club | Trabzonspor |
| Transfer type | Free transfer |
| Contract length | Two years, through summer 2028 |
| Shirt number | 10 |
| Unveiling | Papara Park, Thursday, 17:30 BST |
Why Salah Left Anfield
The relationship between Salah and former Liverpool head coach Arne Slot broke down over the course of the 2025-26 season. Salah was benched for three consecutive games in late December. He later said Slot had thrown him under the bus during a run of poor results, according to CBS Sports.
He returned from the Africa Cup of Nations without reclaiming a regular starting role. Salah announced his intention to leave in March 2026, roughly two months before Liverpool and Slot parted ways.
Before that final season soured, Salah had delivered one of the great individual campaigns in Premier League history. He won the 2024-25 Golden Boot with 29 goals and the Playmaker award with 18 assists. Salah also took the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, the first player to sweep all three in one season, per Al Jazeera.
That PFA award, won in 2018, 2022, and 2025, made Salah the first three-time winner in the honor’s history. He also reached 50 Champions League goals for Liverpool, a mark very few players in the competition’s history have hit, according to Liverpool’s official site.
| Honor | Total with Liverpool |
|---|---|
| Premier League titles | 2 |
| Champions League | 1 |
| FA Cup | 1 |
| EFL Cup | 2 |
| Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup | 1 each |
| Premier League Golden Boot | 4 |
| PFA Player of the Year | 3 |
Salah’s final months in England overlapped with a personal high point for Egypt. He helped his country reach the World Cup round of 16 for the first time in its history this summer. Egypt then lost 3-2 to Argentina after leading by two goals, the Washington Post reported.
From a Collapsed Besiktas Deal to a Hero’s Welcome
Salah appeared close to joining fellow Super Lig side Besiktas after the World Cup. That move fell apart in late July over what Besiktas president described as an unbelievable agent demand, according to This Is Anfield.
Trabzonspor moved quickly once talks with Besiktas stalled. The club teased the signing on social media Tuesday night. Fans then tracked Salah’s flight into Istanbul in real time before he greeted the crowd on arrival.
“Trabzon, are you ready? See you very soon,” Salah said in a video filmed aboard his private jet, referencing the club’s “everywhere is Trabzon” motto.
There was even a small mystery around his shirt number. Salah appeared in the announcement video wearing number 61, a nod to Trabzon’s province code on Turkish license plates, according to Goal.com. His actual match number is 10, the same one he wears for Egypt. Teammate Ernest Muçi gave up the shirt to make it happen.
A Different Kind of Signing for the Black Sea Storm
Trabzonspor finished third in the 2025-26 Super Lig, eight points behind champions Galatasaray, and qualified for European football through the Europa League playoff route. A loss there would still leave them in the Conference League.
The club has won seven Super Lig titles overall. Six came during a golden run between 1976 and 1984. The seventh ended a 38 year wait in 2022, breaking the grip of Istanbul’s three biggest clubs.
Salah joins a squad that already includes goalkeeper Andre Onana, on loan from Manchester United. Cape Verde World Cup defenders Wagner Pina and Sidny Lopes Cabral are also on the roster. Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge and ex-Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe also wore the club’s colors in years past, though neither arrived with Salah’s profile.
He joins a Super Lig already stocked with recognizable names this season, including Victor Osimhen and Leroy Sane at Galatasaray and N’Golo Kante at Fenerbahce.
For a club built for years around promising young players rather than global stars, Salah’s arrival marks a clear change in direction.
