Besiktas Makes Final Offer for Mohamed Salah
Besiktas have made their move for Mohamed Salah – and, according to sporting director Önder Özent, they have also made their last.
The Istanbul club are in talks with the former Liverpool forward, now a free agent, and have already tabled a formal offer. That proposal, Özent stressed, will not be improved or revisited.
“Besiktas' offer, made on its own terms, is on the table,” he told reporters, via Turkish outlet Fanatik. “If a response to this offer comes, it can be evaluated. But Besiktas will not make another offer.”
A Straight Line, No Bending
This is not the usual transfer dance of incremental bids and quiet concessions. Besiktas have opted for a hard stance, presenting what amounts to a take‑it‑or‑leave‑it package to one of the game’s most recognisable forwards.
Özent revealed that Salah’s camp is also in discussions with another club as the Egyptian weighs his next step after leaving Liverpool at the end of last season.
“They've said they're in talks with another club as well; perhaps they'll reach an agreement there,” he said. “Our final offer to Salah is the last word — one that doesn't compromise Besiktas' club identity.”
Talks That Slowed at the Money Stage
Behind the scenes, there has been no shortage of contact. Özent confirmed that Besiktas have met Salah’s representatives multiple times and that early discussions progressed smoothly – until the financial details came into play.
“We met with Salah three times without delving into the financial aspects of the negotiations,” he explained. “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 turning point, he suggested, came when requests around commissions began to complicate the talks and stall the flow of information.
“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.”
Club Policy Over Star Power
At that stage, Besiktas leaned on principle rather than star power. Özent underlined that the club would not cross its own internal red lines on commission rates or financial structure, even for a player of Salah’s stature.
“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.”
For Besiktas, this has become about more than landing a marquee name. It is about how they choose to do business.
“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.'”
So the offer remains, but the club insists it will not chase. The next move belongs to Salah – and to the unnamed rival suitor now sharing the stage in one of the summer’s most intriguing free‑agent sagas.
