Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has retained his position as the highest-paid footballer in Turkey despite Mohamed Salah's high-profile transfer to Trabzonspor, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Salah, who joined Trabzonspor on a free transfer after leaving Liverpool at the end of the 2025/26 season, signed a two-year contract that runs until the summer of 2028. The deal guarantees the Egyptian forward a net annual salary of €17 million, surpassing Osimhen's €15 million base salary at Galatasaray.

The transfer makes Salah one of the biggest names ever to feature in the Turkish Süper Lig and places him among the league's highest earners in terms of basic salary.

However, Osimhen's overall earnings remain higher due to additional benefits included in his contract with Galatasaray, which runs until June 2029.

In addition to his €15 million annual salary, the Nigerian international receives a €1 million loyalty bonus and €5 million each year in image rights payments, taking his guaranteed annual earnings to €21 million—€4 million more than Salah's fixed salary package.

While Salah earns more in base wages, Osimhen's additional contractual benefits ensure he remains Turkey's highest-paid player overall.

Salah's agreement with Trabzonspor also includes a unique commercial incentive. Rather than receiving a fixed image rights payment, the 34-year-old will earn 20 per cent of the revenue generated from official Trabzonspor merchandise bearing his name.

For Salah's total earnings to exceed Osimhen's guaranteed package, merchandise sales linked to his name would need to generate more than €20 million annually—a level that would require exceptional commercial success.

Although Salah's global popularity soared during his nine-year spell at Liverpool, where he scored 255 goals in 435 appearances and won two Premier League titles and the 2019 UEFA Champions League, analysts believe reaching that revenue target would be challenging for Trabzonspor, whose international fan base is considerably smaller than that of Galatasaray.

Trabzonspor secured Salah's signature after seeing off competition from fellow Turkish side Beşiktaş. Early negotiations between Beşiktaş and the player's representatives reportedly collapsed over disagreements relating to agent commissions and financial terms.

Saudi Pro League club Al Ittihad was also linked with the Egyptian forward and was reported to have offered around $25 million per year, but no agreement was reached.

Before the transfer was finalised, Trabzonspor president Ertuğrul Doğan maintained that no official contract had been signed and that travel arrangements were still being completed, despite widespread reports indicating the deal was in its final stages with a medical already scheduled.

Unless Salah's arrival generates unprecedented shirt sales and merchandise revenue, Osimhen is expected to remain the highest-paid player in Turkish football, even though the Egyptian star now earns the higher guaranteed base salary. Meanwhile, the Nigerian striker continues to attract transfer interest from Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.