Mohamed Salah reaches preliminary agreement with Trabzonspor, reports say

Mohamed Salah has reached a preliminary agreement to join Turkish club Trabzonspor, with the former Liverpool forward expected to arrive in Turkey on Wednesday before a potential official announcement, according to Turkish newspaper Sabah.

Salah’s next destination had been uncertain in recent days, with his name linked to both Trabzonspor and Besiktas. Sabah reported on Monday that the Egypt captain had agreed initial terms with Trabzonspor, including an annual salary of 17m euros plus bonuses.

The report said Trabzonspor would provide Salah with a private jet from Greece, where he is currently on holiday, to take him to Turkey ahead of the proposed announcement.

However, Trabzonspor’s head coach previously insisted that nothing had been finalised.

“There is nothing official regarding Salah at the moment,” he told Turkish broadcaster HTSpor.

“It is very important for a name like Salah to be linked with Trabzonspor.”

“But instead of creating expectations with words, we are trying to build trust through hard work.”

“At the moment, there is nothing to say on this matter.”

French website Foot Mercato has also reported that Trabzonspor are close to signing Salah, who ended his nine-year spell with Liverpool at the conclusion of last season.

According to Turkish outlet Ajansspor, Trabzonspor have offered Salah a two-year contract. The proposed package includes a salary of 17m euros per season, a further 5m euros in bonuses and 20% of shirt-sale revenue.

The developments come after Besiktas withdrew from negotiations with Salah, reportedly because of the financial demands made by his agent, Ramy Abbas.

Salah has also previously been the subject of an offer from Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad, according to an earlier report.

Trabzonspor president Ertugrul Dogan had previously played down suggestions that a deal with Salah had been agreed.

“Who would not want to sign a player like Mohamed Salah? I would like that too, but there is no agreement at this stage,” Dogan told Turkish television channel ASpor.

“I do not want to talk about whether we have contacted Mohamed Salah or not. As the president of the club, I must protect the interests of Trabzonspor, so we have to choose our words carefully.”

“If there is any development regarding transfers, we will immediately inform our fans and the public.”

Salah left Liverpool at the end of last season after spending nine years at the club. He had joined Liverpool in 2017 and became one of the defining players of the club’s modern era, although the source report does not provide further details about his departure.

Trabzonspor have previously fielded Egypt internationals Mahmoud Hassan “Trezeguet” and Ayman Abdelaziz.

The Turkish side finished third in the Turkish league last season and will enter next season’s Europa League at the qualifying play-off stage for a place in the main competition.

Salah also returned from the World Cup with Egypt after the team were eliminated by Argentina in the round of 16.