Mohamed Salah has spent weeks as the most talked-about free agent in world football, and for a while it looked like Istanbul would be his next stop. Now that story has hit a wall. Besiktas have confirmed they are stepping away from the negotiating table, and the reasons behind the breakdown are just as dramatic as the transfer talk itself.
Why Besiktas Pulled the Plug
Speaking at a press briefing, Besiktas football director Onder Ozen laid out exactly what went wrong. According to Ozen, the club held three separate meetings with Salah’s camp, and the early conversations went smoothly. Trouble started once the financial details entered the discussion. Ozen said talks began slowing down from July 21 onward, with disagreements emerging over commercial rights, image revenue, and the commission requested by Salah’s representative.
Ozen was careful not to declare the deal permanently dead, describing the file as “shelved” rather than closed. He added that club president Serdal Adali chose to walk away rather than make what he called a populist decision that would compromise Besiktas’ values. The message was clear: the offer on the table is final, and Besiktas will not improve it, even for a player of Salah’s stature.
A Saga Years in the Making
This is not the first twist in the Salah-to-Besiktas story. Weeks earlier, Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu claimed an agreement had already been struck, a report Besiktas publicly denied as fabricated. Fabrizio Romano weighed in at the time, explaining that the denial did not mean the interest was fake, only that no deal had been finalized. Romano noted Besiktas had indeed made an offer worth around 12 million euros a year, roughly half of what Salah earned during his final Liverpool contract, while Saudi Pro League and MLS clubs also circled with proposals of their own.
That gap between Besiktas’ valuation and Salah’s expectations appears to be exactly what sank the deal for good this time.
What Comes Next for Salah and Besiktas
Salah left Liverpool this summer as a free agent after nine trophy-laden years at Anfield, where he scored 257 goals and provided 120 assists in 442 appearances, lifting two Premier League titles and a Champions League among his honors. That resume means he will not be short of suitors, regardless of how the Besiktas chapter ends.
For their part, Besiktas are already looking elsewhere. Reports suggest the club has shifted its attention toward AC Milan winger Rafael Leao as a potential alternative, a sign that the Turkish side is not willing to wait indefinitely on Salah’s camp to soften its financial demands.
The Bigger Picture
Whether Besiktas eventually reopens talks or Salah lands elsewhere, this saga is a reminder of how quickly even the most star-studded transfer rumors can unravel when money and image rights enter the conversation. For now, Istanbul’s dream of parading Salah at Vodafone Park is on ice, and the football world waits to see which club ultimately wins the race for one of the game’s most decorated forwards.
