Besiktas approached Mohamed Salah shortly after the Egyptian forward became a free agent upon the expiration of his Liverpool contract on June 30, according to sporting director Onder Ozen. The club conducted three meetings that progressed smoothly on non-financial matters before discussions reached the economic details on July 21, Ozen told reporters. At that point additional requests from the player’s side began to surface, placing the negotiations in deadlock. Ozen presented an offer that included annual wages of approximately 12 million euros through 2027 with an option for 2028, yet the new complications halted further progress.
Ozen stated that he assumes Salah himself was unaware of the specifics. «I assume that a respected player like Mohamed Salah was unaware of these details,» Ozen said. «However, through his agent, financial demands were made regarding image rights on a scale the club has never previously granted to any player or staff member.» The sporting director added that the club will not meet demands it considers excessive, effectively pausing the talks for now.
Reports from GOAL.com and other outlets indicated the hurdles involved a requested share of shirt-sale revenue along with an agent commission that reportedly reached 35 percent, figures Besiktas president Serdal Adali described as unacceptable. Earlier accounts suggested Salah had verbally agreed to a base salary near 10 million euros plus performance bonuses before the commercial terms escalated. The developments follow initial optimism that a deal could be reached quickly after Liverpool allowed the 34-year-old to depart as a free agent.
Salah compiled a club-record 191 Premier League goals and 94 assists across 315 appearances for Liverpool from 2017 to 2026, club statistics show. He has also scored 68 goals in 121 caps for Egypt, according to national team records. Forbes placed the forward among the world’s highest-paid athletes in 2026 with estimated earnings of 55 million dollars, a reflection of his on-field impact and commercial appeal that Transfermarkt data values at around 35 million euros despite his age.
Salah’s final Liverpool contract carried an average annual salary of 20.8 million dollars, Spotrac figures indicate, meaning the Besiktas proposal would have represented a reduction even before the disputed extras. Turkish Super Lig clubs have increasingly targeted high-profile European free agents in recent windows to elevate their squads, yet wage ceilings and ancillary costs often complicate such pursuits. Ozen confirmed the initial conversations with Salah and his representatives focused on sporting and technical aspects that aligned well for both parties.
«We met with Salah three times where the financial part of the negotiations was not entered,» Ozen noted. «Everything was fluent so far. When the financial side started, the fluidity of the first day slowed down from July 21.» Requests that the club viewed as placing both information flow and finances in a dead end prompted the decision to step back from further dialogue at this stage.
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