Mohamed Salah could be set for a Liverpool reunion after signing for Trabzonspor earlier this month. The Egyptian left the Reds on a free transfer after mutually agreeing to terminate the final year of his contract. Despite being linked with a move to Saudi Arabia, Serie A and the MLS, the 34-year-old instead completed a surprise switch to Turkey.
Rather than signing for one of the nation's traditional giants in the form of Istanbul-based trio Galatasaray, Fenerbahce or Besiktas, Trabzonspor instead won the race for the forward's signature. Seven-time champions of the Turkish Super Lig, Trabzonspor last won the title in 2021/22. But that triumph is the only time they have won the league since 1984, with their previous six league wins coming across a nine-year stretch in the 1970s and 1980s.
Europa League Qualification
Trabzonspor finished third in the league last season, meaning they failed to qualify for the Champions League and will instead compete in the Europa League. As a result, this season will act as only the second time Salah has taken part in Europe's secondary club competition since his final season with AS Roma in 2016/17.
While this season will mark a rare entry into the Europa League for Salah, Trabzonspor will be desperate to reach the group stages having only twice progressed as far in any European competition since 2015/16. However, they will have to successfully navigate the play-off round later this month if they wish to compete in the tournament's league phase.
Potential Reunion with Keita
That final qualifying round could provide Salah with a reunion against one of his long-serving former Liverpool team-mates. Trabzonspor will face either Ferencvaros or Gornik Zabrze in the play-off round, with the Hungarian outfit currently leading 1-0 on aggregate ahead of travelling to the Polish counterparts for their third qualifying round second leg on Thursday night.
Should Ferencvaros emerge victorious and set up a play-off clash with Trabzonspor, then Salah will find himself locking horns with his former Reds colleague, Naby Keita. The Guinea international played alongside Salah at Anfield for five seasons, having joined the club the year after the Egyptian in a £52.75m switch from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2018, and won every major honour as he made 129 appearances for the club.
From those outings, Keita played alongside Salah 114 times with the pair combining for seven goals. The midfielder scored 11 times during his Liverpool career, with the forward assisting him more than any other player. Salah set up four of Keita's goals for the club, with the Guinean returning the favour on three occasions.
They most memorably combined when Liverpool thrashed bitter-rivals Manchester United 5-0 at Old Trafford in October 2021. Keita opened the scoring that day, set up by Salah, before returning the favour for the Egyptian's first goal as he famously went on to score a hat-trick against the Red Devils.
Keita's Journey Since Liverpool
The 2021/22 campaign proved to be the best of Keita's Liverpool career, before he found himself plagued by injuries during the 2022/23 season. Departing the Reds on a free transfer that summer following the end of his contract, the 31-year-old went on to sign for Werder Bremen on a free transfer before leaving for Ferencvaros, initially on loan, in January 2025 after falling out with management at the Bundesliga outfit.
Keita could also end up facing off against a second former Liverpool player should Ferencvaros progress in the Europa League, with reports claiming Trabzonspor are working on a deal to sign former Reds striker Darwin Nunez.
