Turkish media reports have revealed new and important developments in the negotiations for the transfer of star Mohamed Salah to the Turkish club Besiktas, after the club's management came close to overcoming the biggest obstacle that had delayed the completion of the deal.
According to the Turkish newspaper Fanatik, Salah's agent, Rami Abbas, agreed to reduce his financial demands related to his commission from the deal, after previous reports indicated that he was asking for a percentage of up to 35% of the contract value.
The reports indicated that the removal of this obstacle prompted the Besiktas management to begin the final preparations for the contract, discussing the details of the agent's fee and the remaining financial terms.
Despite the optimism within the Turkish club, the financial aspects still represent a major challenge, as Besiktas seeks to find funding sources to help it bear the cost of the huge deal, amid attempts to attract sponsors to contribute to covering the value of the contract.
Club president Serdar Adali had previously rejected the high financial demands for the commission, considering them incompatible with the club's capabilities, before negotiations entered a more flexible phase.
Besiktas management has also invited Ramy Abbas to hold a face-to-face meeting in Istanbul with the aim of reaching a final agreement, given the club's desire to finalize the deal quickly, especially with talk of possible interest from rival Galatasaray.
The issue of signing Egyptian player Salah has gone beyond the sporting aspect, after Turkish reports indicated that there was official interest in the deal, as the newspaper "Sözcü" stated that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan requested information about the progress of the negotiations.
Reports suggest that signing Salah would be a major event for the Turkish league, and would give Besiktas a huge boost in terms of public and media attention, especially since the player is one of the most prominent stars of world football.
Salah is expected to receive an annual salary that could exceed 12 million euros, with the possibility of extending the contract for an additional season.
For his part, Besiktas coach Vincenzo Italiano is working to convince Salah of the team’s sporting project, as the Italian coach presented a vision for the Egyptian star’s role within the team and plans to rely on him as a key element in the next stage.
Besiktas hopes that its recent European results, after beating Denmark's Midtjylland in the Europa League qualifiers, will help strengthen its position and convince Salah to move to Istanbul.
