Besiktas Firm on Mohamed Salah Offer Amid Negotiation Challenges
Besiktas have made their move for Mohamed Salah – and, according to sporting director Önder Özent, they have no intention of blinking first.
The Istanbul club are in talks with the free agent forward and have already tabled a formal offer, one they insist will not be improved under any circumstances. For a player of Salah’s stature, that is a bold stance. Besiktas are treating it as a point of principle.
“Our final offer to Salah is the last word – one that doesn't compromise Besiktas' club identity,” Özent said at a news conference, as reported by Turkish outlet Fanatik.
The message was clear: this is not a bidding war, and Besiktas will not be dragged into one.
A Take-It-or-Leave-It Proposal
Salah, who left Liverpool at the end of last season, is weighing up his next move and remains in discussions with at least one other club. Özent openly acknowledged that Besiktas are not alone at the table.
“They've said they're in talks with another club as well; perhaps they'll reach an agreement there,” he admitted. “Besiktas' offer, made on its own terms, is on the table. If a response to this offer comes, it can be evaluated. But Besiktas will not make another offer.”
No ultimatums on deadlines. No public pleading. Just a firm, fixed proposal and an insistence that the club will not chase.
Negotiations Stalled by Commission Demands
Behind the scenes, Besiktas have already invested serious time in the pursuit. Özent revealed that the club met Salah’s camp three times and initially found the discussions smooth and positive.
“We met with Salah three times without delving into the financial aspects of the negotiations,” he said. “Everything was going smoothly up to that point. Once the financial discussions began, the smooth progress seen on the first day started to slow down as of July 21.”
The slowdown, he suggested, came when the talks turned to commission. Requests from intermediaries dragged on the process and clashed with the club’s internal rules.
“Requests began to emerge that would bring both the flow of information and the financial side to a standstill. I can assume that a respected athlete like Salah was unaware of this,” Özent noted, drawing a line between the player’s reputation and the demands of those around him.
For Besiktas, this was not just about one transfer. It was about how the club chooses to operate.
Club Policy Over Star Power
Özent repeatedly circled back to policy, legality and identity. Besiktas, he stressed, will not stretch beyond what they consider acceptable, even for a player of Salah’s global profile.
“The club has a policy, and it cannot deviate from that policy,” he said. “Our president identified the line he would not cross very clearly and stood his ground. Management is a legal business; there is a legally established commission rate, and exceeding that would constitute an illegal situation.”
That stance, he argued, is part of what it means to represent Besiktas.
“When it comes to Beşiktaş, avoiding such a situation is a requirement of being a Besiktas supporter. The president, by not making a populist decision, has 'stepped away from the table for now.'”
Those last three words – “for now” – keep the door slightly ajar. The offer remains in place. The club have not walked away entirely, but they have stopped chasing.
So the ball sits with Salah and his camp. Accept Besiktas’ terms and step into a new chapter in Istanbul, or find an agreement elsewhere. Besiktas have made their position plain: the player may be world class, but the club’s line, in their eyes, is non-negotiable.
