Mohamed Salah's Transfer Battle: Trabzonspor vs Besiktas
For weeks, the story felt neatly wrapped. Mohamed Salah, the Liverpool great whose numbers once bent Premier League seasons to his will, was heading for a late-career adventure with Besiktas. A verbal agreement in place, big money on the table, a new chapter in Istanbul seemingly ready to be written.
Then Saturday arrived, and the plot flipped.
From Anfield icon to transfer battleground
Liverpool and Salah had already made their peace. With a year left on his huge contract, both sides agreed this summer was the moment to part. The winger had been earning around £400,000 a week at Anfield, a figure that once looked like a bargain when the goals and assists flowed with machine-like regularity.
In his prime years, Salah was a luxury Liverpool could afford. He didn’t need to press like a madman when he was deciding tight games on his own. The numbers justified the freedom.
Last season, that calculation changed. The output dipped sharply, the defensive work — never his strongest suit — came under harsher scrutiny, and Liverpool chose to reset their attack rather than cling to past glories. The legend status remains untouched. The direction of travel, though, was clear.
Turkey, it seemed, would be his next stage.
Besiktas moved with intent. While Saudi Arabian clubs and MLS sides circled with interest, it was the Istanbul giants who pushed hardest, putting a firm offer down and edging into pole position. A 1+1-year deal, €10m net per season plus €2m in bonuses, and a verbal agreement with Salah’s camp. The race looked done.
Then Trabzonspor kicked the door down.
Trabzonspor crash the party
On Saturday morning, respected Turkish journalist Yağız Sabuncuoğlu reported that Trabzonspor had stepped directly into the deal. Not with whispers, but with an official offer.
“Trabzonspor met with Mohamed Salah’s representative and submitted its official offer. €17 million salary. Two-year contract,” he wrote on X.
That figure translates to around £280,000 a week. Less than his Liverpool wage, but a clear statement of intent from a club determined to outmuscle Besiktas for one of the most recognisable forwards of his generation.
Sabuncuoğlu followed up with the key detail: Salah’s camp had relayed the offer to the player, and the 32-year-old is “positively inclined” towards Trabzonspor’s proposal. The decision now rests with Salah, who is set to consult his family before giving a final answer.
The pressure told almost immediately. Besiktas, who thought they had their man, have been forced to slam on the brakes.
Besiktas left in limbo
French reporter Santi Aouna added further weight to the story, confirming that Trabzonspor are “close to hijacking” the Salah move after entering advanced negotiations with his agent.
His report underlined the scale of the turnaround. Besiktas, despite having that verbal agreement in place over their €10m-plus-bonuses package, have now officially suspended talks “until further notice.”
For a club that believed it was on the verge of landing one of the biggest signings in its modern history, the blow is obvious. Besiktas had the structure, the term, the money, and the prestige of Istanbul. What they didn’t have was Trabzonspor’s late, aggressive push.
Now the balance has shifted. Trabzonspor, with a cleaner two-year proposal and a higher salary, are suddenly in command of the narrative.
A defining decision for Salah’s final act
This is no ordinary free-agent chase. Salah is not just another veteran forward chasing one last payday. He is a Liverpool legend, a player whose name is etched into club history, and any move he makes now will define the closing chapter of his European career.
Besiktas offered familiarity: a huge club, a passionate fanbase, and the promise of being the centrepiece of a rebuild. Trabzonspor bring something different — a bold financial package and the chance to become the face of a project determined to punch above its weight.
Saudi Arabia and MLS, once viewed as natural landing spots for a player of Salah’s profile, are watching this unfold from the periphery. Turkey, not Riyadh or Miami, has become the stage for the scramble.
The verbal agreement is gone. The numbers are clear. The offers are on the table.
Now it comes down to Salah. Where does a Liverpool legend choose to write his final European chapter: under the lights of Istanbul, or in the colours of Trabzon?
