Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen, remains the highest-paid footballer in Turkey despite Mohamed Salah’s high-profile transfer to Trabzonspor, with the Nigerian’s total guaranteed earnings at Galatasaray exceeding those of the Egyptian forward.
Salah, who joined Trabzonspor after leaving Liverpool as a free agent at the end of the 2025/26 campaign, signed a two-year contract that runs until 2028.
The deal guarantees him a net annual salary of €17m, surpassing Osimhen’s €15m base salary at Galatasaray.
The agreement makes the former Liverpool star one of the biggest names to feature in the Turkish Süper Lig and among the league’s top earners based on basic wages.
However, Osimhen’s contract includes additional benefits that significantly boost his earnings.
In addition to his base salary, the 27-year-old receives a €1m loyalty bonus and €5m annually in image-rights payments, taking his guaranteed yearly income to €21m.
As a result, the Nigerian international earns €4m more than Salah overall, despite the Egyptian having the higher base salary.
Unlike Osimhen’s fixed image-rights payment, Salah’s contract includes a commercial incentive that allows him to receive 20 per cent of revenue generated from official Trabzonspor merchandise bearing his name.
For Salah to overtake Osimhen in guaranteed annual earnings, merchandise sales under that arrangement would have to generate more than €20m each year, a target considered difficult given Trabzonspor’s comparatively smaller global following, despite Salah’s worldwide popularity from his nine successful seasons at Liverpool.
During his time at Anfield, Salah scored 255 goals in 435 appearances, winning two Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League in 2019.
Trabzonspor reportedly beat rivals Beşiktaş to secure the Egyptian’s signature after negotiations between Beşiktaş and the player’s representatives broke down over financial terms and agent commissions.
Saudi Pro League club Al Ittihad was also linked with Salah and reportedly offered about $25m per year, but the move did not materialise.
Before the transfer was officially completed, Trabzonspor president Ertuğrul Doğan maintained that no contract had been signed and that travel arrangements were still pending, even as reports indicated the move was close to completion with a medical scheduled.
Meanwhile, Osimhen continues to attract transfer interest from Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, but unless Salah’s commercial earnings rise dramatically through merchandise sales, the Nigerian is expected to remain the highest-paid footballer in Turkey.
