Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen remains the highest-paid footballer in Turkey despite Mohamed Salah’s blockbuster move to Trabzonspor.
Although Salah’s transfer from Liverpool comes with a net salary of €17 million per season, Osimhen’s overall guaranteed earnings at Galatasaray remain significantly higher, reports The Eagle Online.
Salah completed a two-year deal with Trabzonspor running until the summer of 2028 after leaving Liverpool as a free agent at the end of the 2025/26 season.
The agreement makes the Egyptian one of the highest-paid players in Turkish football history in terms of basic wages.
However, Osimhen’s contract with Galatasaray, which runs until June 2029, includes more than just his €15 million net annual salary.
The Nigeria international also receives a €1 million loyalty bonus and €5 million in annual image-rights payments, taking his guaranteed yearly earnings to €21 million.
That leaves Osimhen earning €4 million more per season than Salah’s fixed salary despite the Egyptian’s higher base wage.
Salah’s contract is structured differently, with a significant portion of his potential earnings tied to commercial performance.
Instead of a fixed image-rights payment, the former Liverpool forward will receive 20 per cent of revenue generated from official Trabzonspor merchandise bearing his name.
For Salah to overtake Osimhen’s guaranteed annual earnings, that commercial clause would need to generate more than €20 million every season from merchandise sales alone.
Such a figure would require extraordinary commercial success, particularly for a club with a considerably smaller global fan base than Galatasaray, despite Salah’s worldwide popularity after scoring 255 goals in 435 appearances for Liverpool and winning two Premier League titles and the 2019 UEFA Champions League.
Trabzonspor beat fellow Turkish side Beşiktaş to Salah’s signature after negotiations between the player and the Istanbul club reportedly broke down over financial terms and agent commissions.
Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad also expressed interest and were reported to have offered around $25 million per season, but no agreement was reached.
Unless Salah’s arrival generates unprecedented merchandise sales, Osimhen is expected to retain his status as Turkey’s highest-paid footballer overall, even though the Egyptian now receives the higher guaranteed base salary.
