Salah arrives in Turkiye to complete Trabzonspor move

Former Liverpool star Mohamed Salah arrived in Istanbul on Wednesday to complete his move to Turkish club Trabzonspor after leaving the Premier League giant at the end of his contract.

"Salah mode: ON," Trabzonspor posted on social media alongside photos of the 34-year-old Egyptian aboard a private jet wearing the team's blue and maroon home shirt.

The club from Turkiye's northeast announced on Tuesday that it had begun "negotiations" with Salah, who left Liverpool after nine seasons and as many trophies with the Reds.

He landed in Istanbul at around 11 am local time, where he was greeted by hundreds of ecstatic supporters, according to reporters.

"I'm here straight after my night shift, and now, for Mohamed Salah, I am ready to spend another sleepless night," Trabzonspor supporter Abdul Kerim Yervan said.

Salah underwent a medical on Wednesday in Istanbul before flying to Trabzon later in the day.

The right winger, who is set to sign a two-season contract with an option for a third, will earn 17 million euros ($19.6 million) a year, according to several Turkish media outlets.

"I am really happy... and looking forward to training with the team. Everywhere I go I always win, or try to win, something. Hopefully, we can do something within the league and in Europe as well," the Egyptian said on his arrival in Trabzon, while the club posted "Welcome, Egyptian King" on X.

Salah netted 257 goals for Liverpool in 442 appearances in all competitions, making him the third-top goalscorer in the club's history.

He also scored 193 Premier League goals, 191 of them for the Reds, putting him fourth in the all-time list behind English trio Alan Shearer, Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney.

Salah was far from his best in a struggling Liverpool team last term, scoring only seven times in the league.

He last played at the World Cup, helping Egypt reach the round of 16 for the first time since 1934, before the Pharaohs blew a two-goal lead to suffer an agonizing loss to eventual runner-up Argentina.

Salah had also been linked with Trabzonspor's Super Lig rival Besiktas.

Trabzonspor finished third in the Turkish top flight last season, nine points clear of Besiktas, to qualify for the Europa League playoff round.

Salah has scored 66 goals in 119 international appearances for Egypt and is one of the most successful African players in history.

Guimaraes to Gunners?

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta gave little away Wednesday following reports that the Premier League champion has agreed a 75 million-pound ($101 million) fee to sign Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes.

The Brazil midfielder's future has been the subject of fevered speculation for weeks since it emerged that he wanted to leave Tyneside for the Emirates Stadium.

Arteta, asked about a possible move for Guimaraes following Arsenal's 3-1 friendly defeat to Spanish side Real Betis in Dublin on Wednesday, replied: "I'm not going to talk about any players who aren't Arsenal players."

He added: "I can tell you, at the moment, that (when) something happens and we can announce it, I will give you my straight answer."

Guimaraes, 28, who joined Newcastle from Lyon in 2022, scored nine goals and provided eight assists in all competitions for the Magpies last season.

After a break following Brazil's World Cup campaign, he linked up with Newcastle on the club's preseason training camp in Spain.

Eddie Howe, who quit as Newcastle manager last week, had admitted he was concerned about losing Guimaraes.

Arsenal has been relatively quiet in the market compared with north London rival Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Chelsea as the new season approaches.

Arteta previously said that Arsenal was "very active" and "very ambitious in what we want to do".

"We need to increase the competition internally. We need to make sure we identify the things that we don't have in the team," the Spaniard said.

Arsenal was punished for defensive errors in Dublin, falling behind to first-half goals from Rodrigo Riquelme and Nelson Deossa.

The Gunners hit back through Piero Hincapie, but Pablo Fornals struck a third for Betis before the break.

Arteta rang the changes at halftime, making seven substitutions, with Louie Copley, who captained Arsenal's under-21 side last season aged 19, among those who came on.

Arsenal begins its title defense against Coventry at the Emirates Stadium on Aug 21.