Besiktas Makes Final Offer for Mohamed Salah

Besiktas have pushed their pursuit of Mohamed Salah as far as they are prepared to go. Now they wait.

Club president Serdal Adali has confirmed that the Turkish side have submitted what he described as their “final official offer” to the former Liverpool forward, making clear that the next move belongs entirely to the Egyptian star.

“As has been published in the media, we have for some time been conducting negotiations with Salah and his representatives regarding the details of the deal,” Adali told Turkish outlet Ortacizgi, outlining a courtship that has stretched over weeks rather than days.

The talks, he explained, have gone deep into the numbers and the fine print. “In the final stage, we discussed the demands of the player and his representatives from all angles, and after mutual negotiations, we submitted our final official offer. We also asked them to inform us of their decision within a short period.”

Besiktas have made no secret of their ambition in this window, and Salah sits at the top of that agenda. The 32-year-old, repeatedly linked with a move to Istanbul in recent weeks, would be the marquee signing of the Turkish summer – a statement that the Istanbul club intend to muscle their way back into the European spotlight.

Adali stressed that the club had stretched as far as they felt responsible to go.

“While our transfer work continues at full force, this is the current situation regarding Salah. We have assessed the amendments requested since the start of the negotiations, in line with the club's interests, and we have submitted our final offer,” he said, before drawing a clear line under the club’s part in the saga. “Now the decision lies with the player.”

The pressure, in other words, shifts to Salah’s side of the table.

Italian journalist Nicolo Schira, regarded as a reliable voice on transfers, reports that Besiktas have already reached an agreement on personal terms with Salah and his agent. The proposed deal is understood to be a one-year contract worth up to €12 million, a sizeable package that underlines how determined Besiktas are to land him.

The numbers are on the table. The project has been pitched. For Besiktas, there is nothing left to negotiate.

All that remains is the answer from one of modern football’s most decisive forwards.