Besiktas Shifts Focus to Leao After Salah Talks Stall

Besiktas’ bold move for Mohamed Salah has ground to a halt, not on the pitch, but in the small print.

The Istanbul giants believed they were edging closer to one of the most audacious free transfers of the summer. Salah, a free agent since his Liverpool contract expired on June 30, had been lined up with an eye-watering €12.5 million annual salary. The project was clear: build a new era around a global superstar.

Then the deal ran into the wall that stops so many super-signings – commercial rights and commissions.

Commercial battle stalls Salah talks

Inside Besiktas, optimism gave way to resistance once the conversation moved from salary to the broader financial ecosystem around Salah. The club balked at demands over a share of shirt-sale revenue and the commission requested by the player’s representatives. Those two elements, more than any headline wage figure, dragged the talks into dangerous territory.

Sporting director Onder Ozen laid out the situation in unusually blunt terms. He confirmed that Besiktas had reached out to Salah and even built a financial model to make the move possible. For a while, the tone was positive. Then the numbers shifted.

According to Ozen, everything changed around July 21. As the new season drew closer and discussions turned to the “financial side,” requests arrived that, in his words, pushed the deal toward “a dead end.” The smooth early exchanges slowed. The gap between what Salah’s camp wanted and what Besiktas were prepared – and legally allowed – to do widened sharply.

At the heart of the stand-off is the club’s refusal to cross its own legal and financial red lines. Ozen stressed that while commission payments in player management are legitimate, there is a legal ceiling, and going beyond it could “involve an illegal situation.” Besiktas, he insisted, will not compromise on that principle, no matter the name on the contract.

The outcome is decisive, at least for now. Club president Hasan Arat has, as Ozen put it, taken an “unpopular decision” and pulled Besiktas back from the negotiating table, temporarily withdrawing from the Salah deal. The dream of seeing the Egyptian forward in black and white has not vanished entirely, but it now hangs by the thinnest of threads.

From free agent to €60m man

Besiktas, though, are not standing still. With the Salah move frozen, they have already pivoted to another marquee name: Rafael Leao.

According to reports in Italy, the Turkish side have opened formal lines of communication with AC Milan over the Portuguese winger. On paper, the switch in targets is striking. From a 32-year-old free agent with a massive commercial footprint to a 27-year-old, explosive wide forward still under contract at one of Europe’s traditional powers.

Leao offers a different kind of star power. He operates in a similar area of the pitch, but his game is built on raw acceleration, direct running and the ability to unbalance defences in an instant. For any coach, he represents a tactical weapon rather than just a marketing asset.

The move, however, comes with a completely different financial structure. Where Salah would arrive without a transfer fee, Leao sits firmly in Milan’s asset column. The Rossoneri are not entertaining cut-price ideas or short-term fixes. Their stance is clear: no loans, no options, no creative structures. Only a straight cash sale will be considered.

The price? An estimated €50–60 million for the former Serie A Player of the Year. For a Turkish club, that is uncharted territory.

Leao’s demands raise the bar

Meeting Milan’s valuation is only half of the equation. Any club trying to prise Leao away must also convince the player himself that the move matches his ambitions.

Leao is attracting interest across Europe’s top five leagues, and that shapes his expectations. Reports indicate he will not seriously consider a switch to the Turkish Super Lig unless his financial package reflects his status. The benchmark is said to be at least €8 million per season, plus performance-related bonuses.

That figure would stretch even the most ambitious Turkish budgets. Yet Besiktas, still searching for a new talisman, appear willing to explore the limits of what is possible. They know that to land a player of Leao’s calibre, they must behave like a club ready to sit at the same table as Europe’s heavyweights, not just in transfer fees but in wages and long-term commitments.

They are not alone in this race. Galatasaray and Fenerbahce have also been linked with the Portugal international, adding a fierce domestic edge to an already complex pursuit. All three clubs understand what a signing of this magnitude would signal, both inside Turkey and across the continent.

Besiktas, however, have already made the first formal move towards Milan. In a market where timing and intent often decide outcomes as much as money, that early step could yet prove decisive – if they are truly prepared to follow it with the kind of offer that forces Milan, and Leao, to listen.