Trabzonspor president details rapid Mohamed Salah transfer

Trabzonspor president Ertugrul Dogan has detailed how the Turkish club persuaded Mohamed Salah to sign a two-year contract after the forward ended his nine-season spell with Liverpool. BBC Sport reported that Salah completed the move this month and was presented to 35,000 supporters at Papara Park on August 6.

Watch the highlights:

Dogan told BBC Sport Africa and BBC Turkish that Trabzonspor had tracked Salah since the World Cup but initially waited while the 34-year-old considered other options. According to Dogan, serious negotiations took about five or six days once another Turkish club withdrew its interest. The first conversations took place by video call, with further talks following while Salah was on holiday in Mykonos.

The president said Salah asked why he should choose Trabzonspor, a club without Champions League football. Dogan's pitch focused on the identity of Trabzon as a one-club city and the intensity of its support. Thousands of fans later greeted Salah when he arrived in Istanbul for his medical, before the signing ceremony drew a large crowd at the club's home stadium.

The financial package is unusually transparent. Dogan has said Salah will earn 17 million euros per year and receive 20% of sales from merchandise carrying his name. He described the transfer as difficult to value through a direct return, while pointing to rapid growth in season-ticket demand and new approaches from potential commercial partners in Turkey, Europe and the Arab world.

Trabzonspor initially targeted 25,000 season-ticket sales but now expects the total to pass 30,000, according to Dogan. He said sales made in the first four or five days after Salah's arrival covered nearly 70% of the player's salary for this season. Those figures are the club president's assessment and were not independently verified in the BBC report.

Salah made his competitive debut as a second-half substitute in Trabzonspor's 1-1 league draw away to Kasimpasa on August 15. The Egyptian scored 191 Premier League goals during his Liverpool career and is fourth on the competition's all-time scoring list. His arrival gives coach Fatih Tekke an experienced attacking figure as Trabzonspor attempt to build on last season's Turkish Cup victory and compete in domestic and European football.