08/05/26 10:26:00
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08/05 05:56 CDT Liverpool icon Mohamed Salah arrives in Istanbul ahead of
Trabzonspor move
Liverpool icon Mohamed Salah arrives in Istanbul ahead of Trabzonspor move
By JAMES ROBSON
AP Soccer Writer
MANCHESTER, England (AP) --- Mohamed Salah was greeted by cheering Trabzonspor
fans in Istanbul on Wednesday as he closed in on a move to the Turkish club.
The Liverpool icon wore the team's blue and burgundy striped shirt after flying
in on a private jet to complete the deal.
Earlier he was filmed aboard the jet pulling on his new jersey.
"Trabzon are you ready? I can hear you. See you very soon," Salah said in a
video message posted on the club's official X channel.
Turkish TV showed still images of Salah wearing a shirt with No. 61 on it as he
arrived in Istanbul, where hundreds of chanting fans waited to greet him. NTV
also broadcast the Egyptian signing a Trabzon shirt and said his official
signing ceremony would be held Thursday in the Black Sea city.
Salah is a free agent after leaving Liverpool at the end of last season.
There was speculation the 34-year-old Egypt international would end his career
in Saudi Arabia, but it emerged this week that Trabzonspor was leading the race
to sign him.
"We've started transfer talks with Mohamed Salah, he's coming to Istanbul!" the
club said.
The official announcement of negotiations to the Istanbul stock market saw
Trabzonspor shares rise 6.5%.
Salah established himself as a Premier League great with Liverpool where he won
two league titles and the Champions League among eight major honors.
He scored 257 goals in 442 appearances for the Merseyside club and is regarded
as one of its greatest players of all time.
But he endured a disappointing end to his time at Anfield with a dramatic drop
off in form last season and a public falling out with then-coach Arne Slot.
He only scored 12 goals in all competitions, having scored 34 in the previous
campaign.
He announced in March that he would leave the club at the end of the season,
despite having a year to run on the contract he signed in 2025.
Trabzonspor is a seven-time Turkish champion and finished third last season.
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Andrew Wilks in Istanbul, contributed to this report
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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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