Mo Salah signs with Turkish club Trabzonspor

⚽ Mo Salah’s next stop: Turkey. Nine years after arriving at Liverpool as one of the most exciting signings in Premier League history, Egypt’s greatest footballer has agreed a two-year contract with Trabzonspor, nicknamed the Black Sea Storm, that finished third in the Turkish Super Lig last season and will play in the Europa League this coming campaign.

The Egyptian King will reportedly earn EUR 17 mn per season, receive a EUR 5 mn signing bonus, and take home a 20% cut of every jersey bearing his name sold by the club — making him, by some distance, the highest-paid player in Trabzonspor’s history.

ICYMI- Salah left Liverpool this summer after nine years, having scored 257 goals and provided over 120 assists (93 in the Premier League alone) in 442 appearances, snatching eight major trophies along the way.

The road to Trabzonspor was full of hiccups: Salah terminated his Liverpool contract a year early on 1 July, and for most of the summer his destination took in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and a scattering of European clubs. Besiktas were the first serious suitors — reportedly offering a guaranteed EUR 15 mn per year, with performance bonuses that could have pushed his earnings to between EUR 19-20 mn a season. It was as far as they were prepared to go, and negotiations collapsed.

Al Ittihad then made their move. The Saudi club offered EUR 25 mn per year, but Salah’s agent was seeking at least EUR 40 mn. Trabzonspor’s offer of EUR 17 mn per year, combined with European football and a city that wanted him before he’d even signed, was enough.

The Turks were happy, to say the least, with a slew of celebratory videos — some of which gave us a good chuckle — making the rounds on social media.

More big moves

Salah isn’t the only star making big moves this summer. Here are the biggest of the season so far:

• Morgan Rogers: Aston Villa to Chelsea — GBP 117 mn;
• Elliot Anderson: Nottingham Forest to Manchester City — GBP 116 mn;
• Anthony Gordon: Newcastle to Barcelona — EUR 70 mn;
• Jérémy Jacquet: Rennes to Liverpool — GBP 60 mn
• Ibrahima Konaté: Liverpool to Real Madrid — numbers undisclosed;
• Bernardo Silva: Manchester City to Real Madrid — numbers undisclosed.

AND- The managerial switch-up has been just as busy as the transfer windows. Real Madrid confirmed José Mourinho’s appointment as first-team head coach on a three-year contract. Andoni Iraola steps up from Bournemouth to Liverpool, succeeding the sacked Arne Slot. Xabi Alonso takes charge at Chelsea, and Enzo Maresca inherits Guardiola’s seat at Manchester City. Jürgen Klopp also signed a four-year agreement as Germany head coach following Nagelsmann’s resignation after the Paraguay defeat, taking charge on 15 August.