Massive welcome for Salah in Turkey

Istanbul – AFP – Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah, who became a free agent following his departure from English club Liverpool, arrived in Istanbul on Wednesday in preparation for joining Turkish side Trabzonspor.

The 34-year-old player landed at Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport, where hundreds of the club’s fans gathered outside to welcome him, according to AFP correspondents.

Abdel Karim Yervan, a Trabzonspor supporter, told AFP near a banner describing the Egyptian star as a “gift from God”: “I came straight from work. I work nights, and I’m ready to spend another sleepless night for Mohamed Salah.”

Trabzonspor had earlier posted on the platform X: “Salah mode activated,” accompanied by images of the player aboard a private jet wearing the team’s blue and maroon jersey.

Salah traveled to Turkey on a private jet and wore a Trabzonspor jersey bearing the number 61 during the flight. He addressed the club’s fans via a video clip shared by the club on its social media accounts, saying in English: “City of Trabzon, are you ready? I can hear you,” before continuing in Turkish: “For us, every place is Trabzon,” a reference to a slogan chanted by the club’s supporters.

The club, based in the northeastern Turkish city of Trabzon and qualified for the UEFA Europa League playoff round, announced on Tuesday that it had begun “negotiations” with the Egyptian star, who left Liverpool after nine seasons during which he won the same number of titles with the Reds.

Club president Artugrul Dogan indicated that the contract signing could take place on Thursday, without providing an official announcement regarding the date so far.

Salah is expected to undergo a medical examination in Istanbul before heading to the city of Trabzon later in the day.

Trabzonspor, last crowned Turkish champions in 2022, is the only club from the Anatolian region to have successfully competed against Istanbul’s major clubs: Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, and Beşiktaş.

Salah holds legendary status with the Egyptian national team, having scored 68 goals in 121 international appearances and helped the team reach the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. He also left a historic mark at Liverpool, scoring 257 goals and providing 123 assists in 442 matches across all competitions.

Salah joined Liverpool from Roma in 2017, winning two Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League trophy with the club.