Besiktas goes public over Salah's possible arrival

Galatasaray and Fenerbahce have been showing off for years by signing big names, while Besiktas watched enviously. Since winning the title in 2021, they have not come close to repeating that success, but this year they have decided to try to change that — and become a more competitive side. They have already brought in Alexander Nubel from Bayern Munich and Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard, but the biggest moves are yet to come. Besiktas have set their sights on two major stars, two free agents that many clubs would love to sign — Mohamed Salah and Dušan Vlahović. However, their attempts to bring them in have so far been unsuccessful, mainly because of the players’ and their representatives’ high financial demands.

With new information about both players emerging almost daily, Besiktas sporting director Onder Ozen decided to address the public and clarify the current situation, revealing details that could disappoint the club’s supporters.

“A lot has been said about Mohamed Salah for some time now. There has been extensive speculation from every angle. There are some things we want to clarify regarding him” Ozen began at the press conference before explaining the situation.

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“We contacted Salah. This also included discussions about the financing model. Salah is a global star, a respected athlete. We met with him three times before the financial side of negotiations was even discussed. Up to that point, everything was progressing smoothly. Once the financial part began, that initial smooth progress slowed down from July 21 onwards. Requests started arriving that disrupted the flow of communication and created a delay in the financial process. I can assume that a respected athlete like Salah was not aware of this.”

Because of that, Besiktas have temporarily withdrawn from negotiations and will not submit a new, improved offer to the player.

“The club has its own policy and cannot move away from it. Our president has clearly defined his position and has remained firm. The work of agents is a legitimate profession, there is a legal commission, and exceeding that commission would be illegal. The issue we are discussing... The president, without making a populist decision, has temporarily stepped away from the negotiating table. Besiktas’s offer, made under our own conditions, is clear. If we receive a response to this offer, it can be evaluated. But Besiktas will not make another offer. They said they are negotiating with another club as well, perhaps they will get a result there. The last offer we sent to Salah is the maximum point that does not harm Besiktas’s identity” said Ozen.