Transfer: Salah lands in Turkey to seal Trabzonspor deal

Former Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has arrived in Istanbul to complete his transfer to Turkish side Trabzonspor following the expiration of his contract with the Premier League club.

The 34-year-old Egyptian landed in Turkey on Wednesday aboard a private jet, where he was welcomed ahead of finalising the move.

Trabzonspor announced Salah’s arrival on social media with the caption, “Salah mode: ON,” alongside photos showing the veteran forward wearing the club’s blue and maroon home jersey during his flight.

The club from Turkey’s northeast announced on Tuesday that they had begun “negotiations” with Salah, who left Liverpool after nine seasons and as many trophies with the Reds.

He landed at around 0900 GMT in Istanbul, where he was greeted by hundreds of ecstatic supporters, AFP journalists reported.

“I’m here straight after my night shift, and now for Mohamed Salah, I am ready to spend another sleepless night,” Trabzonspor supporter Abdul Kerim Yervan told AFP.

Salah is due to undergo a medical on Wednesday in Istanbul before flying to Trabzon later in the day.

The right winger, who is set to sign a two-season contract with an option for a third, will earn 17 million euros ($19.6 million) a year, according to several Turkish media outlets.

Salah netted 257 goals for Liverpool in 442 appearances in all competitions, making him the third top goalscorer in the club’s history.

He also scored 193 Premier League goals, 191 of them for the Reds, putting him fourth in the all-time list behind English trio Alan Shearer, Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney.

Salah was far from his best in a struggling Liverpool team last term, scoring only seven times in the league.

He last played at the World Cup, helping Egypt reach the last 16 for the first time since 1934 before they blew a two-goal lead to suffer an agonising loss to eventual runners-up Argentina.

Salah had also been linked with Trabzonspor’s Super Lig rivals Besiktas.

Trabzonspor finished third in the Turkish top flight last season, nine points clear of Besiktas, to qualify for the Europa League play-off round.

Salah has scored 66 goals in 119 international appearances for Egypt and is one of the most successful African players in history.

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