Turkey's Besiktas crowds Roshan League to kidnap Mohamed Salah
Turkish club Besiktas has sparked a noisy surprise in the summer transfer market by entering intensive negotiations to sign Egyptian star Mohamed Salah on a free transfer, following the closing of the curtain on his historic journey with Liverpool.
Within hours, the story turned into the most prominent headline in Europe and Turkey, despite the global hype associated with the World Cup, after the pace accelerated immediately after Salah's participation with the Egyptian national team ended.
Turkish sources confirmed that Besiktas made his first official offer, including a one-year contract with the preference of an automatic extension for an additional year according to the participation rate, in an attempt to capture the Pharaohs captain before any other club kidnapped him.
Salah agrees to reduce his salary
Information revealed that Salah has clearly welcomed a new experience in the Turkish league, and has agreed to reduce his financial demands from 15 million euros to about 12 million euros per year, benefiting from the support of the club's new sponsors.
Sources close to the club said that the negotiations advanced a decisive legal step with the arrival of Salah's lawyer in Istanbul to hold direct meetings and draft the financial and legal clauses of the contract, in an indication of the seriousness of both parties and the player's desire to decide his future quickly, as the new coach Vincenzo Italiano believes that Salah represents an exceptional opportunity that will not be repeated, while the management aspires to form a fierce attacking duo that brings him together with the Belgian Leandro Trossard coming from Arsenal.
In a striking scene, the stands of Besiktas Stadium were on fire during Trossard's presentation, after the crowd interrupted the words of the ceremony with resounding chants: "Oh God... In the name of God. Mohamed Salah" is under direct pressure on the club's president, Ser Dale Adali, to complete the "deal of the season" at all costs.
Salah is tempted to stay in Europe
Although Salah's current desire to stay in Europe tends to stay in Europe through the Istanbul Gate, the Saudi league giants, led by Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli, are watching the scene closely and are preparing to intervene with huge financial offers if negotiations falter due to the salary cap in Turkey.
Informed sources said that the alternative Saudi offers offered to the Egyptian star go beyond everything offered in Europe and Turkey, after the player turned into a strategic target for the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which seeks to make him the most prominent symbolic face of the sports project in the Kingdom.
The information confirms that the Roshan League system is ready to offer an annual salary of a minimum of 72 million euros, up to a comprehensive package of around 150 million pounds (around $200 million) per year, which is equivalent to three times his previous salary at Liverpool. The offers also include contracts of between two and three years to ensure the player's stability and give him enough time to build his sports business in the region.
Financial and investment temptations similar to the Ronaldo deal
The temptations do not stop at the financial aspect, as they include unprecedented in-kind and investment advantages, most notably granting Salah a future partial ownership in one of the clubs, in addition to direct support for his commercial and sports investments in the Arab world. The offers also include the appointment of him as an official ambassador for Saudi tourism on an independent contract that generates huge returns, similar to the package that Cristiano Ronaldo received.
The desire to attract is spread among four main clubs: Al-Ittihad, which has been insisting on settling the deal since last summer in search of a global name to lead its attacking project, and Al-Hilal, which is aggressively entering the race to fill any potential void in the attacking line while ensuring continental competition and a Club World Cup, while Al-Ahli and Al-Qadisiyah (backed by Aramco) are watching the scene as options capable of meeting the player's demands if he decides to sign in the Middle East.
Despite all these temptations, the main reason why Salah has not signed so far is his desire to consider options that guarantee him to stay in a competitive atmosphere of a European or special fan character, such as the Besiktas offer, before making his final decision with his agent Rami Abbas.