Trabzonspor target Guardiola after signing Mohamed Salah in bid to topple Galatasaray

Trabzonspor have reportedly opened serious talks with Pep Guardiola over their vacant manager’s position, with the Turkish club said to have offered the Manchester City manager an annual salary of 13m euros.

The ambitious proposal comes after Trabzonspor signed Liverpool great Mohamed Salah this summer. The club are now considering a potential Salah-Guardiola partnership as they attempt to end Galatasaray’s dominance of the Turkish league.

The possibility would bring together two figures linked to a decade of competition in England, although no agreement with Guardiola has been confirmed.

According to the Turkish newsletter Gusholder Haber Bulteni, Trabzonspor’s management have made contact with Guardiola and presented the 13m-euro-a-year offer in an effort to persuade him to take charge of the club’s title campaign.

The approach follows an encouraging start by Salah in Turkey. The forward has scored four goals and provided one assist in his first three Turkish top-flight appearances.

However, Trabzonspor suffered a major setback in Europe, losing 5-0 on aggregate to Hungarian club Ferencvaros in the qualifying rounds for the Europa League. That result led the manager at the time, club legend Fatih Tekke, to resign immediately.

A report shared on social media said: “Trabzonspor held talks with Pep Guardiola. Guardiola was offered a salary of 13m euros.”

Trabzonspor responded strongly in their first match since Tekke’s departure, beating Genclerbirligi 5-0 at Papara Park. Paul Onuachu, Ernest Muci, Mohamed Salah and new signing Frankulino Dju were named among the scorers.

The club’s main objective for the season is to break Galatasaray’s hold on the Turkish title. Galatasaray are seeking a fifth consecutive championship, which would be an unprecedented achievement in the history of the Turkish league.

Trabzonspor’s hierarchy appear to regard the prospect of combining Salah’s attacking quality with Guardiola’s management as the strongest route to challenging that record.