Mohamed Salah given final say on proposed move to Besiktas, says club president

Besiktas president Serdal Adalı says the club has submitted its final offer to Mohamed Salah and that the Egypt captain now holds the decisive say over a potential move to the Turkish side.

Adalı confirmed that negotiations with Salah and his representative Rami Abbas have reached a critical stage after a breakthrough over financial terms, leaving the former Liverpool forward to decide whether to join the Istanbul club.

Speaking to Turkish outlet Orta Cizgi, Adalı explained: “As has been communicated to the public, we are continuing discussions with Salah and his agent, which cover all the details of the transfer process.”

He added: “Finally, after thoroughly discussing the proposal we received, we presented our final official offer to the player’s representatives. We also informed them that we expect them to notify us of their decision soon.”

Adalı stressed that Besiktas have pushed their negotiations as far as they feel able to go: “While our efforts in the transfer market continue at full speed, here is the latest on Salah. Since the initial talks, we have assessed all requested increases and adjustments within the interests of Besiktas, and we have submitted our final offer. Now the decision is in the player’s hands, and we have told him that we need a response soon.”

Agent commission ‘breakthrough’

The president had previously identified one major obstacle to completing the deal for Salah, with reports in Turkey highlighting the demands made by his agent.

Turkish newspaper Fanatik has reported that Abbas, Salah’s long-time representative, has agreed to reduce his commission, which had been set at 35% of the player’s contract value and was described as the key stumbling block to a move to Besiktas.

According to the same report, the club are already preparing the paperwork for Salah’s potential signing and are waiting only to finalise the remaining details with Abbas over the revised commission structure.

Salah’s interest in Turkey and political attention

Earlier coverage in Turkey had outlined the reasons behind Salah’s willingness to consider a spell in the Turkish league, with the chance to take on a new challenge after almost a decade in the Premier League among the factors mentioned.

The prospect of Salah joining Besiktas has also attracted notable political interest. Reports in Turkey have stated that the possible transfer is drawing significant attention from the country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Besiktas on the pitch and Salah’s recent career

On the field, Besiktas, nicknamed the Black Eagles, strengthened their European prospects on Thursday with a 1-0 victory over Danish side Midtjylland in the first leg of their Europa League qualifying play-off.

Salah, meanwhile, is a free agent after bringing his nine-year spell at Liverpool to an end at the conclusion of last season. During his time at Anfield, the forward became one of the club’s most influential players of the modern era, but his departure has left him weighing up the next step in his club career.

The 32-year-old recently returned to international duty with Egypt at the World Cup, where the Pharaohs were knocked out in the last 16 by Argentina. Following that elimination, attention has turned back to his future at club level – with Besiktas now waiting for his answer.