Mohamed Salah agrees Trabzonspor move after leaving Liverpool, reports say

After nine years at Liverpool, Mohamed Salah has reportedly agreed a two-year contract with Trabzonspor, capping a summer of talks, holidays and a reported Saudi hijack attempt.

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Mohamed Salah with UEFA Super Cup
Photo: Mehdi Bolourian / CC BY via Openverse · source

Mohamed Salah has reportedly agreed to join Turkish club Trabzonspor on a two-year contract after leaving Liverpool, where he played from 2017 until his contract ended on 30 June 2026. Reports also claim Saudi club Al-Ittihad attempted to hijack the deal.

Mohamed Salah has reached an agreement to join Turkish club Trabzonspor on a two-year contract, according to reports, with an official announcement expected. The deal would end weeks of speculation over the Egyptian forward's future following the expiry of his Liverpool contract on 30 June 2026. Salah, 34 in footballing terms a veteran but still the all-time top foreign goalscorer in Premier League history, spent nine years at Anfield after joining in 2017. He has captained Egypt, his national side since 2011, and remains one of the most recognisable athletes in world football. His next destination matters well beyond Merseyside. Reports suggest Salah weighed offers while holidaying in Mykonos, held talks with Beşiktaş, and drew contact from Atletico Madrid before settling on Trabzonspor. Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad is reportedly attempting a late hijack of the deal, according to reports, leaving the transfer's completion uncertain even now.

Salah agrees two-year deal with Trabzonspor, reports say

Mohamed Salah has reached an agreement to join Turkish club Trabzonspor on a two-year contract, according to multiple reports, bringing an end to weeks of speculation over the Egyptian forward's future following his departure from Liverpool.

The reported agreement comes after Salah's contract at Anfield expired on 30 June 2026, closing a nine-year spell on Merseyside that began in 2017. An official announcement from Trabzonspor is expected, though it has not yet been made, and it remains unconfirmed whether the deal has been formally completed.

Salah, 34, had been a free agent since leaving Liverpool and was linked with several clubs across Europe and beyond during the summer transfer window. Reports in Türkiye had earlier indicated he was bound for Beşiktaş, before suggestions emerged that he was instead heading to a different Süper Lig side. Atletico Madrid also reportedly made contact with the player and considered offering him a contract.

Trabzonspor, one of the major clubs in the Turkish Süper Lig, now appear to have won the race for his signature, if the reported agreement holds. The two-year contract would keep the Egypt captain in Türkiye beyond his 36th birthday, though the financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Salah has been an Egypt international since 2011 and captains his national team. He leaves English football as the all-time top foreign goalscorer in the Premier League, a record built across his nine seasons with Liverpool.

Nine years at Anfield: the career Salah leaves behind

Mohamed Salah arrived at Liverpool in 2017 and stayed for nine years, a spell that ran until 2026 and came to define both his career and the club's modern era. His contract at Anfield ran until 30 June 2026, and its expiry brought one of the most celebrated tenures in the club's history to a close.

By the time he left, Salah had secured a place in English football's record books. He is the all-time top foreign goalscorer in the Premier League, a distinction that underlines both his longevity and his consistency across nearly a decade at the highest level. Few overseas players have sustained such output for so long in England's top flight.

His influence extended well beyond Merseyside. Salah has been an Egypt international since 2011, a run of service to his country that predates his time at Liverpool by six years. He captains the Egypt national team and remains its most recognisable figure, carrying the expectations of a football-mad nation through more than a decade of international football.

That dual burden — talisman for club and country — became a defining feature of his career. At Liverpool he was the focal point of the attack; for Egypt he has been the captain and standard-bearer since his early twenties.

Off the pitch, Salah is a practicing Muslim whose public profile has occasionally drawn attention beyond football. Since 2019 he has posted annual Christmas-themed family photographs on social media, a tradition that has generated recurring controversy and debate among his followers — a reminder of the scrutiny that accompanies a figure of his stature in both European and Middle Eastern football.

2017
Liverpool tenure start
2026
Liverpool tenure end
30 June 2026
Liverpool contract end
2011
Egypt international since
2019
Christmas-themed family photographs since

A summer of uncertainty: Mykonos, Beşiktaş talks and Atletico's interest

When Mohamed Salah's Liverpool contract expired on 30 June 2026, ending his nine-year spell at Anfield, he did not immediately commit to a new club. According to reports, the Egyptian forward remained unsigned as the summer transfer window opened, and spent time on holiday in Mykonos while weighing the offers in front of him.

Interest was not in short supply. Reports said Salah held talks with Beşiktaş over a potential move to Istanbul, and for a period the Turkish giants appeared to be his most likely destination. That prospect was soon thrown into doubt, however, when a senior figure at the club publicly cast uncertainty over whether the move would happen, according to reports.

Beşiktaş were not the only suitor. Atletico Madrid reportedly made contact with Salah during the window and considered offering him a contract, raising the possibility that the 34-year-old would remain in one of Europe's major leagues rather than move to Türkiye.

The picture in Türkiye then shifted. Reports there suggested Salah was heading to a Süper Lig side other than Beşiktaş, reversing the earlier indications that he would join the Istanbul club. It was against that backdrop that Trabzonspor emerged as the frontrunners, with reports eventually stating that the Black Sea club had reached an agreement with the player on a two-year contract.

The sequence of events within the window remains unclear. Whether the Beşiktaş talks, the Atletico contact, the Mykonos holiday and the Trabzonspor agreement unfolded in that order has not been established, and the financial terms of any deal have not been disclosed.

  1. Mohamed Salah began his international career with Egypt.

  2. Mohamed Salah joined Liverpool, beginning a spell that lasted until 2026.

  3. Mohamed Salah began posting annual Christmas-themed family photographs on social media, a practice that generated recurring controversy.

  4. Mohamed Salah's contract with Liverpool ran until 30 June 2026, ending his nine-year spell at the club.

  5. After leaving Liverpool, Mohamed Salah had not signed for a new club and spent time on holiday in Mykonos while weighing offers.

  6. Mohamed Salah held talks with Besiktas over a potential transfer, but a senior figure at the club cast doubt on the move.

  7. Atletico Madrid reportedly made contact with Mohamed Salah and considered offering him a contract.

  8. Reports in Türkiye suggested Mohamed Salah was heading to a Süper Lig side other than Beşiktaş, after earlier indications he would join Beşiktaş.

  9. Reports stated that Mohamed Salah reached an agreement to join Trabzonspor on a two-year contract, with an official announcement expected.

  10. Reports alleged that Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad was attempting to hijack Trabzonspor's deal to sign Mohamed Salah.

The Trabzonspor deal: what is known and what is not

Mohamed Salah has reached an agreement to join Trabzonspor on a two-year contract, according to reports, with an official announcement from the Turkish club expected. The reported deal would take the Egyptian forward to the Süper Lig following the end of his nine-year spell at Liverpool, where his contract ran until 30 June 2026.

The length of the contract — two years — is the clearest detail to have emerged, though reports of the agreement have not been confirmed by either the player or the club, and the terms should be treated as reported rather than finalised.

Much else remains unknown. The financial terms of the deal, including any salary or signing arrangements, have not been disclosed. It is also unclear whether the agreement was ever formally completed or officially announced, and there has been no confirmation of when, or if, Salah put pen to paper.

The picture is further complicated by the uncertainty of the summer that preceded it. Salah had not signed for a new club after leaving Liverpool, according to reports, and the sequence of events during the transfer window — including talks with other suitors — remains murky. Whether the Trabzonspor agreement survived competing interest, including a reported late attempt by Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad to hijack the move, is not yet established. Until an announcement arrives, the deal sits in the space between report and reality.

Al-Ittihad's reported late attempt to hijack the move

The reported agreement with Trabzonspor may not have been the final word on Mohamed Salah's future. According to reports, Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad attempted to hijack the deal, moving to prise the Egyptian away from the Turkish side even as an official announcement of the Trabzonspor move was expected.

The allegation remains unconfirmed. It is not clear how far Al-Ittihad's interest progressed, whether any formal offer was made to Salah or his representatives, or what response, if any, the approach received. The financial terms of the reported Trabzonspor contract have not been disclosed, making it impossible to say what Al-Ittihad would have needed to table to turn the player's head.

What is known is narrow: reports alleged the Saudi club tried to intervene, and the outcome of that attempt is unknown. Whether Al-Ittihad's reported effort failed, was withdrawn, or simply never materialised into a serious bid has not been established. Until Trabzonspor or Salah confirm the transfer formally, the status of the move — and of any rival pursuit — rests on reporting rather than official word.

The Bowen claim: how Liverpool might have replaced Salah

Salah's departure also revived a claim about how Liverpool might once have planned for life without him. According to reports, a former Premier League figure said Jurgen Klopp would have signed Jarrod Bowen as Salah's replacement had Klopp remained manager at Anfield. The claim, reported by British outlets, is attributed rather than confirmed, and it concerns a scenario that never came to pass: Klopp left the club before Salah's contract ran down to 30 June 2026. Bowen, the West Ham forward, has long been mentioned as a stylistic fit for the right-sided role Salah made his own over nine years. The suggestion has resurfaced now precisely because Salah's exit has made the question of his succession real rather than hypothetical.

A figure who transcends the pitch

Salah's significance has long extended beyond his achievements on the pitch. A practicing Muslim, he has captained the Egypt national team, for whom he has played since 2011, and stands as one of the most prominent Arab athletes in world sport. His public life has not been without friction. Since 2019 he has posted annual Christmas-themed family photographs on social media, a tradition that has generated recurring controversy among sections of his following. The images, typically showing Salah with his family beside a decorated tree, have drawn both criticism and defence each year, underlining the scrutiny that accompanies a figure of his stature.

Frequently asked questions

Has Mohamed Salah signed for Trabzonspor?

According to reports, Mohamed Salah has reached an agreement to join Turkish club Trabzonspor on a two-year contract, with an official announcement expected. However, it is not yet known whether the deal was ever formally completed or announced. Reports also allege that Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad attempted to hijack the move, so the situation remained fluid at the time of reporting.

When did Mohamed Salah leave Liverpool?

Mohamed Salah's contract with Liverpool ran until 30 June 2026, bringing his nine-year spell at the club to an end. He had joined Liverpool in 2017 and became the all-time top foreign goalscorer in the Premier League during his time there. The exact date he formally departed the club has not been stated, but his exit preceded the 2026 summer transfer window.

Which clubs tried to sign Mohamed Salah after Liverpool?

Several clubs were linked with Salah after his Liverpool contract ended. He held talks with Beşiktaş, though a senior figure at the club reportedly cast doubt on the move. Atletico Madrid reportedly made contact and considered offering him a contract. Reports in Türkiye then pointed to a Süper Lig side other than Beşiktaş, before an agreement with Trabzonspor was reported. Al-Ittihad also reportedly tried to intervene.

How long is Mohamed Salah's contract with Trabzonspor?

The reported agreement between Salah and Trabzonspor is said to be a two-year contract, according to reports. Beyond its length, the financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Reports indicated an official announcement was expected, but whether the contract was ever officially signed or announced remains unknown.

Who is Mohamed Salah?

Mohamed Salah is an Egyptian professional footballer who has captained the Egypt national team and has been an international since 2011. He played for Liverpool from 2017 to 2026 and is the all-time top foreign goalscorer in the Premier League. A practicing Muslim, he has also drawn recurring controversy since 2019 for posting annual Christmas-themed family photographs on social media.

Compiled from reporting by 11 independent outlets. How we source our reporting.

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