Turkey’s tax-backed transfer deals make it a serious rival to Saudi Arabia

Turkey’s top-flight clubs are emerging as one of the most attractive destinations in football’s summer transfer market, with major signings and high salaries helping the league compete directly with the Saudi Pro League for leading players.

The financial returns available to footballers are the main reason for that growing appeal, according to Mike McGrath of the Daily Telegraph.

The move of Egypt forward Mohamed Salah to Trabzonspor is cited as a prominent example of the shift in the market. Salah had been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League for several months after announcing his departure from Liverpool, but ultimately chose to begin a new chapter in Turkey.

His decision came during a summer in which several high-profile players left Saudi Pro League clubs after their contracts expired. That group includes Riyad Mahrez, Georginio Wijnaldum, Chris Smalling, Jhon Duran, Marcelo Brozovic, Franck Kessie and Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Turkey’s clubs have also been among the most active teams in the current transfer window, with their level of activity compared favourably even with clubs from the Premier League.

Fenerbahce have signed Mason Greenwood and Nathan Ake, while Besiktas have brought in Leandro Trossard from Arsenal. Those deals have underlined the ambition of Turkish clubs as they seek to attract established players from some of Europe’s biggest leagues.

The central advantage, the report says, lies not only in the size of the contracts but also in the way player salaries are structured.

In Turkey, players can receive their wages on a net basis, meaning the amount stated is what they take home after tax rather than a gross figure from which deductions must later be made.

That distinction is particularly significant in the case of Salah. The Daily Telegraph reported that he is due to earn at least £14.5m net per season with Trabzonspor, before bonuses are included.

Based on the tax system in the United Kingdom, that figure would equate to a contract worth more than £500,000 a week, according to the report’s estimates.

One Turkish football agent explained the system by saying: “Basically, players receive their salaries net, and they have no tax responsibility because the club takes care of paying the taxes.”

Turkey does not exempt footballers from income tax. Instead, clubs are able to absorb the tax burden as part of their agreements with players. That arrangement allows them to present stars with a guaranteed net salary while handling the associated payments themselves.

The result is a significant advantage in the competition for elite talent. Turkish clubs can offer packages that appear especially attractive to players comparing their potential earnings across different leagues.

With the Saudi Pro League having attracted major names through substantial salaries in recent years, Turkey is now presenting itself as a direct competitor in the same financial market. Its combination of ambitious recruitment and net-pay contracts has helped make the Turkish league one of the most compelling destinations of the current summer window.