Mohamed Salah without a club is still the biggest story in world football, and right now Trabzonspor is doing everything it can to make sure that story ends in Turkey. After the collapse of a long-running pursuit by Besiktas, the Black Sea club has reportedly tabled an official two-year offer worth 17 million euros a season to lure the Egyptian icon to the Super Lig. It would be one of the most eye-catching free-agent signings in recent football history, and the transfer saga is moving fast enough to give fans whiplash.
How Besiktas Lost the Race
For weeks, Besiktas looked like the clear frontrunner. Reports out of Istanbul described a verbal agreement on a one-plus-one-year deal worth around 10 million euros a season in salary, with performance bonuses layered on top. Then it fell apart. Multiple Turkish outlets point to a breakdown over agent commissions and image rights as the reason talks froze, leaving Salah a free agent with no home and a market suddenly wide open.
That is exactly the gap Trabzonspor moved to exploit. According to Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu, club officials met directly with Salah’s representatives and presented a formal two-year offer worth 17 million euros annually, a package that would make him one of the best-paid players in Turkish league history. Salah’s camp is said to be discussing jersey revenue splits in the 20 to 25 percent range as part of the package, according to reports.
Why the Club President Is Pumping the Brakes
Here is where the story gets messy, and where a fact check matters. Trabzonspor president Ertugrul Dogan has publicly denied that any agreement is in place, telling Turkish broadcaster A Spor there is “no such agreement” and no plan to bring Salah to Trabzon. He has not denied interest, though. In the same breath, Dogan admitted that “who among us would not want to sign a player of the calibre of Mohamed Salah.” That is the classic shape of a transfer saga at full boil: advanced talks reported by multiple insiders, an official denial that keeps the door open rather than closing it, and a fanbase left refreshing X every few minutes for the next update.
What Salah Would Bring to the Super Lig
Whichever club lands him, the numbers speak for themselves. Salah leaves Liverpool as one of the club’s greatest modern-era players, having scored well over 250 goals across his time on Merseyside and helped deliver multiple Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy. He terminated his Anfield contract a year early to become a free agent this summer, meaning any suitor gets him without paying a transfer fee, only wages and a signing package.
For Trabzonspor, missing out on Champions League football this season is the one drawback. They are in Europa League contention instead, which could matter to a player who has spent a decade competing at the continent’s top table.
What Happens Next
Nothing is signed, sealed, or confirmed. Besiktas has “suspended” rather than ended its interest. Saudi Pro League clubs are still circling in the background. But with an official offer reportedly on the table and Salah’s camp said to be reviewing terms, Trabzonspor has genuinely put itself in pole position for one of the most dramatic free transfers of the summer window.
