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Turkish media reports claim Pep Guardiola has been offered the vacant manager’s role at Trabzonspor.

Reports in Turkey say Super Lig club Trabzonspor have opened talks with Pep Guardiola as they aim to build further momentum after signing Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah.

The two went head-to-head for nearly 10 years in the Premier League, with Salah taking the English top-flight crown away from Guardiola’s Manchester City twice during that spell.

Now, it seems the Egyptian and the Spaniard could end up on the same side in the Super Lig, with Turkish media reporting that Guardiola has been offered a salary of €13 million to take charge of Trabzonspor.

In spite of a strong start to the campaign from Salah — with four goals and one assist in three Super Lig starts — Trabzonspor suffered a crushing exit from the Europa League.

That came against Ferencvaros, who thrashed Salah’s team 5-0 on aggregate in their two-legged Europa League qualifier. In the aftermath, then-manager and former Trabzonspor player Faith Tekke resigned immediately.

The board initially turned down Tekke’s resignation after he then lost 2-1 in his next match away to newly promoted Amed. He was subsequently allowed to leave and, according to Turkish news bulletin Gusholder Haber Bulteni, the Super Lig side have since held talks with Guardiola.

In Trabzonspor’s first game following Tekke’s exit, they tore apart Genclerbirligi in a 5-0 win at Papara Park. The goals were scored by Paul Onuachu, Ernest Muci, Salah and new signing Franculino Dju.

In their push for the Super Lig title — a target carrying extra significance for Trabzonspor this season, with Galatasaray chasing an unprecedented fifth straight Turkish top-flight crown — Salah’s side appear, remarkably, to have turned to Guardiola.

The report from Gusholder Haber Bulteni has since been circulated online by Trabzonspor-focused media as well as other Turkish outlets.

In FourFourTwo’s view, a move to the Super Lig for the Spaniard appears highly unlikely; however, it may still be one worth watching. Having won almost every major honour available, and with Trabzonspor emerging as a serious financial force in Turkey that could, with the right leadership, dominate the Super Lig in the years ahead, the project may hold some appeal for Guardiola.

In 2022, Trabzonspor secured their first top-flight title since 1984. A total of 78 clubs have competed in the competition, but only six have ever won it, and Salah’s side have the fourth-highest tally with seven titles.

Galatasaray have won 26, Fenerbahce have 19 and Besiktas have collected 16 Super Lig titles. If any club is capable of breaking this Istanbul-based dominance, it is likely to be Trabzonspor, who are currently in a strong position to do so.

Having transformed Manchester City from relative Premier League outsiders into the team with the second-most titles in the competition’s history, Guardiola could, in theory, be attracted by the chance to oversee a similar rise in Turkey.

The proposed salary could be a stumbling block, with the Spaniard reportedly having earned more than £20 million per year in England. By comparison, €13 million to manage in Turkey looks far less tempting.

Although it remains a very remote possibility, it is hard not to be intrigued by the prospect of Guardiola and Salah working together, even if only for one season, with both of their footballing legacies already secure.