Trabzonspor president Ertugrul Dogan has lifted the lid on the negotiations that led to Mohamed Salah's surprise move to the Turkish club, revealing that fan passion played a central role in convincing the Egyptian forward to sign.
Speaking to BBC Sport Africa, Dogan explained the thinking behind the club's approach to landing one of the game's most recognizable stars. According to the Trabzonspor chief, the pitch to Salah was not built purely around financial incentives, even though the forward's reported salary of €17m per year is among the most lucrative in world football.
Instead, Dogan said the emotional connection between Trabzonspor and its supporters was a key selling point used to persuade Salah that the Black Sea club represented the right next step in his career. Trabzonspor, one of Turkey's most storied clubs, has a reputation for an intensely loyal fanbase, and Dogan appears to have leaned on that identity as a unique proposition that few other clubs could offer.
The move represents a major coup for Turkish football, with Salah long regarded as one of the most decorated attacking players of his generation following a hugely successful spell in the Premier League. His arrival is expected to significantly raise Trabzonspor's profile both domestically and internationally, while also boosting the club's commercial appeal.
Dogan's comments suggest that the negotiations required more than simply matching Salah's wage demands. Persuading a player of his stature to join a club outside Europe's traditional