Mohamed Salah revives Besiktas transfer row with pointed ‘35%’ message

Mohamed Salah used his goal against Besiktas to send an apparent message to the club’s president, Serdal Adali, reigniting a dispute over a failed transfer and the commission reportedly requested by his agent.

The Trabzonspor forward scored in the 71st minute as his side faced one of their main rivals. However, it was his activity after the final whistle that attracted the most attention.

Salah posted photographs on social media with the brief caption “Yuzde otuz bes”, meaning “35%”. The figure appeared to refer directly to comments previously made by Adali during negotiations for the Egypt international.

The post came as Salah continues an impressive start to life at Trabzonspor. He has scored nine goals and provided four assists in 11 appearances across all competitions, quickly becoming one of the leading figures in his new team.

Failed move brought back into focus

The dispute dates back to the previous summer, when Salah’s time at Liverpool was coming to an end and Besiktas reportedly tried to sign him.

The proposed move did not go through. Afterwards, Adali publicly criticised the financial demands made by Ramy Abbas, Salah’s representative.

According to the Besiktas president, Abbas had sought a commission worth about 35% of the transfer fee. Those remarks placed Salah’s agent at the centre of a public controversy and established the figure that the forward has now brought back into the spotlight.

Salah did not add a lengthy explanation to his social media post. Instead, the two-word message appeared to offer an ironic response to Adali’s earlier allegations, using the same number that had featured in the failed negotiations.

The episode shows how a transfer that never happened can continue to influence the relationship between a player and a club. For Besiktas, the breakdown represented a missed opportunity to recruit one of African football’s most prominent stars. For Salah, meanwhile, “35%” has become a concise way of answering the claims made by the club’s president.

Salah makes impact at Trabzonspor

Salah joined Trabzonspor as a free agent in August 2026, signing a two-year contract that guarantees him approximately 17 million euros per season.

His early statistics suggest that he has adapted quickly. Alongside his nine goals and four assists, his performances have given Trabzonspor a major attacking influence at the start of the campaign.

His response to Besiktas also underlined his ability to keep a rivalry alive away from the pitch. The post followed a decisive contribution in the match and ensured that the old transfer disagreement returned to public discussion.

Trabzonspor will next play Heart of Midlothian in the second round of the league phase of the Conference League.