Guardiola offered €13m salary to manage Salah at Trabzonspor, Turkish media report

Trabzonspor have held talks with Pep Guardiola over their managerial vacancy, with Turkish media reporting the Super Lig club have offered the former Manchester City boss a €13 million salary — a move that would reunite him with Mohamed Salah less than a season after the Egyptian’s high-profile departure from Liverpool.

The report, originating from Turkish news bulletin Gusholder Haber Bulteni and subsequently relayed by Trabzonspor media and other Turkish outlets, comes in the wake of the club’s turbulent start to the campaign. Despite Salah hitting four goals and an assist in three Super Lig appearances, Trabzonspor suffered a damaging Europa League exit — thrashed 5-0 on aggregate by Ferencvaros in a two-leg qualifier.

That result prompted then-manager Fatih Tekke, a former Trabzonspor player, to resign on the spot. The board initially rejected his resignation, but after a 2-1 home defeat to newly-promoted Amed, Tekke was allowed to leave. Trabzonspor have since responded emphatically on the pitch, dismantling Genclerbirligi 5-0 at Papara Park, with Salah among the scorers alongside Paul Onuachu, Ernest Muci, and new signing Franculino Dju.

Guardiola and Salah spent nearly a decade as Premier League rivals, with Salah’s Liverpool denying City the title twice during that period. The prospect of the pair working together in Turkey would represent one of the more unexpected managerial appointments in recent memory.

Trabzonspor have significant motivation to challenge for the Super Lig this season. Galatasaray are chasing an unprecedented fifth consecutive Turkish top-flight title, and Trabzonspor — who won their first championship since 1984 as recently as 2022 — see themselves as the most credible threat to Istanbul’s long-standing dominance. Only six clubs have ever won the Super Lig across its 78-club history, and Trabzonspor’s seven titles place them fourth on that list.

Whether Guardiola, who guided City to an unprecedented treble in 2023 and left the club at the end of last season, would be tempted by the project remains deeply uncertain. The report has not been independently verified, and no confirmation has come from Guardiola’s camp.