Trabzonspor have confirmed Mohamed Salah as their new signing. The club’s official announcement on Wednesday evening described the Egypt captain as a new transfer after he completed a medical and flew into Trabzon, where thousands of supporters had gathered to meet him.
Salah passed his medical at Acıbadem Maslak Hospital in Istanbul before travelling east to the Black Sea coast, and Trabzonspor confirmed that the 34-year-old will be presented at a signing ceremony at Papara Park on Thursday at 19:30 local time. The move ends weeks of speculation about the next step for one of the Premier League era’s most decorated forwards, who left Liverpool as a free agent when his contract expired at the end of last season.
A welcome the club asked for
Trabzonspor had invited supporters to greet Salah a day earlier, announcing on Tuesday night that negotiations had begun and that he would arrive at Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport general aviation terminal on Wednesday. Fans tracked his flight, and hundreds were waiting when he landed. Salah was then mobbed again at Trabzon Airport, where the club said he was met by a huge crowd.
“I am very happy to be in this incredible environment. I don’t remember seeing anything like this before,” the club quoted him as saying. He told the crowd: “There are 25,000 people here, this is incredible. I have never seen anything like this. I have been successful everywhere, and I want to experience success at Trabzonspor too.” In a video posted from his private jet earlier in the day, he had told fans: “Trabzon, are you ready? See you very soon.”
From Anfield to the Black Sea
Salah leaves Liverpool as a club great. Over nine seasons at Anfield he scored 257 goals, won two Premier League titles, the Champions League, the FA Cup, two EFL Cups, the Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup, and collected the Premier League Golden Boot four times. In April 2025 he signed what was reported as the largest contract in Liverpool’s history.
The Egypt captain’s decision to stay in Europe came after a strong World Cup, where Egypt reached the round of 16 for the first time before losing to Argentina. He had been close to joining Beşiktaş before those talks broke down, and Trabzonspor moved quickly once the deal collapsed.
A statement signing for the Black Sea Storm
Trabzonspor finished third in the Süper Lig last season, eight points behind champions Galatasaray, and will enter the Europa League play-offs. The club has won seven Turkish titles, most recently in 2022 when it ended a 38-year wait, and Salah arrives as comfortably its biggest signing, following former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge and former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe into the claret and sky blue shirt.
The arrival is a deliberate change of approach for a club that has focused on developing young players. The board has asked supporters to attend Thursday’s ceremony wearing the new season’s shirts to “witness history”, and the unveiling at Papara Park will formally begin Salah’s time in Trabzon as the club prepares for European competition.
