Mo Salah handed transfer ultimatum as reunion with ex-Liverpool star ruled out
Mohamed Salah’s search for a new club appears to be no closer to concluding after Fabrizio Romano has downplayed talk of an agreement with Besiktas, while a club figurehead says they have “stepped away” from negotiations for now.
After nine years at Liverpool, Salah departed the Premier League side at the end of last season, as a glittering spell at Anfield came to a close.
The Egypt international won two Premier League titles, two Carabao Cups, the Champions League, Club World Cup, FA Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup in an iconic Merseyside stint.
The forward scored 257 goals and added 123 assists in 442 appearances for the Reds, with Salah installed as one of the club’s greatest-ever players.
But time waits for no man and as the quality of his performances declined in the 2025-26 campaign, a deal was struck to end his contract a year early.
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Following his World Cup exploits, Salah is looking for a new team, with Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal and Turkish outfit Besiktas among the sides jostling for his signature.
Salah was Liverpool’s top earner at around £400,000 a week during his last season at the club and it seems those high demands is putting off some suitors.
Indeed, Besitkas’ sporting director Önder Özent said the Turkish team will not bend over backwards to secure the 34-year-old’s services.
He said at a new conference this week, “Besiktas’ offer, made on its own terms, is on the table. If a response to this offer comes, it can be evaluated. But Besiktas will not make another offer.
“They’ve said they’re in talks with another club as well; perhaps they’ll reach an agreement there. Our final offer to Salah is the last word – one that doesn’t compromise Besiktas’ club identity.”
Özent added that the club have met with Salah on a number of occasions and after initial progress was made, a number of hurdles have since got in the way.
He added that Besiktas has a policy and they will not deviate from that, even for Salah.
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The sporting director continued, “We met with Salah three times without delving into the financial aspects of the negotiations. Everything was going smoothly up to that point. Once the financial discussions began, the smooth progress seen on the first day started to slow down as of July 21.
“Requests began to emerge that would bring both the flow of information and the financial side to a standstill. I can assume that a respected athlete like Salah was unaware of this.
“The club has a policy, and it cannot deviate from that policy. Our president identified the line he would not cross very clearly and stood his ground. Management is a legal business; there is a legally established commission rate, and exceeding that would constitute an illegal situation.
“When it comes to Beşiktaş, avoiding such a situation is a requirement of being a Besiktas supporter. The president, by not making a populist decision, has ‘stepped away from the table for now’.”
Transfer expert Romano has echoed these sentiments, while stating that teams in the Saudi top-flight and Major League Soccer are keeping tabs on the veteran.
While Salah is Besiktas’ “top target”, a deal for Al-Hilal forward and former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez is wide of the mark.
Romano said on his YouTube channel, “We have plenty of stories and plenty of questions, obviously coming from Turkey about Mo Salah and Besiktas, because for two, three weeks, the rumours around have been it’s a done deal with Besiktas, it’s all closed and all sealed with Besiktas.
“In reality, at this stage, there is nothing agreed yet between Besiktas and Mo Salah. According to my information, there is still a big difference regarding the salary and the contract requested by Mo Salah compared to what Besiktas are offering.
“So I can’t close doors to this possibility maybe for the next days or weeks or whatever, because Salah is a free agent. He can change his mind any moment.
“But at present, Salah is also considering different possibilities, also from the MLS, also from Saudi. So Salah has plenty of proposals. He can assess the market and decide the best opportunity possible.
“But at the moment, Besiktas are yet to reach a full agreement with Mo Salah. So for sure, he’s their top target. Reports on Darwin Nunez are being played down by people close to the player and also by Al-Hilal.
“So at this stage, Besiktas are not working for Darwin, but for Mo Salah, the situation remains absolutely open and nothing guaranteed or agreed yet.”
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