Beşiktaş drops Mohamed Salah pursuit
The Mohamed Salah saga at Beşiktaş is over. After several weeks of talks, the Istanbul club has officially announced it is ending negotiations to sign the former Liverpool star.
Talks reach a dead end
The news was confirmed by Beşiktaş sporting director Önder Özen, who explained that the two sides failed to reach an agreement. According to him, Beşiktaş met with Mohamed Salah three times to present their sporting project. The Egyptian striker also spoke with the club's coach. Despite these meetings, the Turkish management decided to withdraw:
We met Salah three times, laid out our project for him, and he also met our coach. We have decided to end negotiations. The club has its principles and we cannot compromise.
Financial demands at the heart of the issue
Önder Özen also pointed out that the main sticking point was the financial demands from Salah's camp. The club executive made it clear that Beşiktaş does not intend to improve its current offer:
We will not change the offer on the table. If they want to accept it, that's great. Some demands were unreasonable, particularly regarding the agent's commission.
The Turkish club therefore believes that the demands from the player and his representatives exceeded the boundaries it had set for itself.
Our analysis
Beşiktaş hoped to pull off a massive coup by signing Mohamed Salah, but financial constraints ultimately brought negotiations to a halt. This decision shows the club would rather stick to its economic policy than give in to what it sees as excessive demands.
As for Salah, he remains free to choose his next destination, while Beşiktaş will now look elsewhere to strengthen its attacking options.