Besiktas sporting director Onder Ozen detailed the club’s pursuit of the Egyptian forward during a press briefing at the Nevzat Demir training facilities. The club had conducted thorough assessments of the potential economic returns and commercial benefits a signing could generate, including detailed studies down to expected jersey consumption levels. Ozen noted that initial evaluations had made the move appear appealing.
In the opening phase of discussions Ozen personally met with the player’s representatives twice while the team’s Italian coach attended one session. According to Ozen everything flowed smoothly through those sporting-focused talks with the 34-year-old described as a global star and respected footballer. The director said the club had got in touch with a superstar like Salah and progressed positively until the financial stage intervened.
Negotiations ultimately broke down over demands that Ozen said would deadlock any agreement including issues around image rights and an agent commission reportedly reaching 35 percent. While a standard legal commission for the agent would have been acceptable the club drew the line at terms it viewed as exceeding reasonable bounds. Ozen stated that not taking the club off its axis is more important than having a valuable athlete and confirmed the Salah file has been shelved for now.
The sporting director made clear that Besiktas had not withdrawn its original offer outright but had paused proceedings to safeguard its institutional principles and financial structure. He added that the club had stepped away from the table after the impasse became apparent. Ozen’s remarks came during the July 27 briefing at which he outlined the full sequence of events.
Salah had entered the market as a free agent following the end of his Liverpool contract and featured for Egypt in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 against Argentina on July 7. Transfermarkt reported on the director’s comments the same day as the briefing while Turkiye Today and daveockop.com provided further coverage of the financial reasons behind the breakdown. The reports indicated that three meetings had taken place before talks slowed on July 21.
Ozen’s account offered the most direct explanation of why the long-rumored transfer failed to advance beyond the initial positive stages. The director reiterated that the sporting elements had aligned well before the additional financial complications surfaced. Besiktas will now proceed with its broader transfer strategy under the outlined constraints.
