Istanbul Awaits Mohamed Salah's Transfer with Watermelon Celebration

In Istanbul, transfer fever has taken a familiar turn: it’s being measured in fruit.

One Turkish vendor has promised to give away 500 kilograms of watermelon if Mohamed Salah signs for Besiktas. Half a tonne of celebration, stacked in crates, just to welcome the Egyptian forward to the Black Eagles.

The pledge surfaced in a video posted on Instagram by an Al Jazeera account focused on Turkish news. The clip shows the vendor vowing to hand out the watermelons for free the moment Salah’s move to Besiktas becomes official. It’s light-hearted, but it captures the mood in the city: anticipation, bordering on obsession.

Behind the street-theatre, the negotiations are far more delicate.

According to Turkish network NTVSpor, the long-running “crisis” over Salah’s transfer to Besiktas is edging towards resolution. The club are reported to have reached an agreement with the player himself after his departure from Liverpool this summer. The final hurdle lies elsewhere: the commission for his agent, Ramy Abbas.

Besiktas, led by club president Serdal Adali, have been working quietly in the background. No grandstanding, no leaks from the boardroom, just a series of strategic talks with Abbas as they try to bridge a sizeable financial gap.

Reports in Turkey state that Abbas initially demanded a 35% commission. A figure that would make any club hesitate. Yet those same reports say the agent has started to climb down, gradually reducing his demands and bringing all parties closer to a deal that can actually be signed.

As the numbers move, so does the narrative.

The suggestion now is that Besiktas are closing in on the formal announcement of one of the most audacious signings in their history. The structure of the agreement with Salah is said to be in place. Once the remaining details with Abbas are ironed out, the club expect to push the button.

On the streets, that means one thing: the watermelon man may soon have to make good on his promise.

In the boardroom, it means something else entirely. If Besiktas manage to land Salah, they won’t just be unveiling a superstar. They’ll be sending a message across Turkey and beyond: Istanbul is ready to host one of the game’s modern icons.

Now the question is simple. Does this long courtship end with a signature – and a half-tonne of fruit changing hands – or does one final demand still have the power to derail a move that has already captured a city’s imagination?