Besiktas Shifts Focus to Leao After Salah Deal Stalls
Besiktas thought they had their marquee summer signing lined up. Mohamed Salah, a global icon and now a free agent after leaving Anfield on June 30, was within reach. A package worth around €12.5m per year sat on the table, the kind of figure Turkish clubs rarely push towards.
Then the deal jammed.
Not over the headline salary, but over the fine print: commercial rights, shirt-sale revenue, and the commission demanded by Salah’s camp. Those details, not the football, dragged the talks into a dead end.
Besiktas sporting director Onder Ozen stepped out to cool the fevered speculation.
“For a while now, speculation about Mohamed Salah has increased. The matter has been discussed from every angle,” he said, confirming that the club had made contact and even built a model to finance the move.
The early mood was positive. Smooth, even. But the tone shifted as the clock ticked toward the new season.
Ozen pinpointed the turning point: “When talk of the financial side began, that smoothness which had been there on the first day started to slow down as of 21 July. Requests began to arrive that would drive the flow of information and the financial side into a dead end.”
The message from Besiktas could not be clearer. They will not blow through their own legal and financial guardrails, even for a player of Salah’s stature. The sticking point lies in the level of commission and the structure of commercial income. For the Istanbul club, those demands crossed a line.
“Working in the field of player management is legal, and there is a legal value for the commission, and exceeding it may involve an illegal situation,” Ozen stressed. He framed the decision as a matter of identity as much as accounting. “When it comes to Besiktas, not entering into such a situation is also among the requirements of belonging to the club. The president has taken an unpopular decision, and has decided to withdraw temporarily from the negotiating table in the Salah deal.”
Temporarily or not, the pause is significant. With the Salah saga stalled, Besiktas have moved quickly to protect their summer plan from collapsing around one name.
Leao emerges as Plan B – but on very different terms
The response from the Besiktas hierarchy has been swift: if Salah cannot be landed on their terms, they will chase another elite winger. According to reports in Italy, the club has now opened formal communication with AC Milan over Rafael Leao.
This is not a like-for-like situation, though the positions match. Salah is a 32-year-old free agent, a proven global superstar whose cost is wrapped into wages and commissions. Leao is a younger, explosive wide forward under contract at one of Europe’s giants, with his best years still ahead.
For coach Raffaele Italiano, Leao would offer a different kind of weapon. Raw pace, one-on-one power, and the ability to stretch defences from the left flank. A different profile, but the same intention: a talisman to build around.
The financial landscape changes completely with Leao. There is no free-agent leverage here. Milan are under no pressure to compromise.
The Rossoneri have made their stance clear to all suitors: no loans, no options, no creative structures. Only a straight cash sale. The fee for the former Serie A Player of the Year is expected to land between €50m and €60m, a huge outlay for any Turkish club.
And that is only the first hurdle.
Leao’s own demands sit high. Reports indicate the Portuguese international would only consider leaving the comfort of Europe’s traditional top-five leagues if he receives at least €8m per season, plus performance-related bonuses. For a Super Lig side, that is a long-term commitment, not a gamble.
Besiktas, though, do not seem scared off by the numbers. The Salah experience has underlined their willingness to go big – but only inside a structure they can defend publicly and legally. For Leao, that means a heavy package, but one that is clearer than the complex web of image rights and commissions that clouded the Salah chase.
Crowded field for a coveted winger
Besiktas are not alone in this race. Domestic rivals Galatasaray and Fenerbahce have both been linked with Leao in recent weeks, turning the pursuit into a three-way arm wrestle inside Turkey, with Milan holding the decisive cards.
The “Black Eagles” hope their early, formal approach to Milan gives them a crucial edge. They know they cannot rely on romance or reputation alone. Hard cash and a convincing sporting project must do the talking.
One saga has stalled. Another has just begun. Whether Besiktas can turn ambition into reality now depends on how far they are willing – and able – to push in a market that rarely forgives hesitation.
