Chelsea swoop for Salah from Basel
Sunday, January 26, 2014
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Mohamed Salah, who has scored three goals against Chelsea FC in the past year, has signed for the Blues from FC Basel 1893 for a fee thought to be in the region of €13m.
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Chelsea FC have completed the signing of Egyptian international winger Mohamed Salah from FC Basel 1893.
Chelsea and Basel agreed a fee believed to be in the region of €13m on Thursday and Salah subsequently settled on personal terms and passed a medical before inking a five-and-a-half-year contract. The 21-year-old, who started his senior career in his homeland before moving to Switzerland in summer 2012, registered nine goals in 47 Super League appearances for Basel.
Salah also helped the reigning Swiss champions reach last season's UEFA Europa League semi-finals, where they suffered a 5-2 aggregate defeat by Chelsea, Salah scoring in a 3-1 loss at Stamford Bridge. Basel then beat the west London team home and away in UEFA Champions League Group E this term, and Salah found the net on both occasions.
Chelsea topped their section despite those reverses against Basel and will face Galatasaray AŞ in the round of 16, with the first leg in Istanbul on 26 February.
