Ertugrul Dogan, president of the Turkish club Trabzonspor, ended the controversy surrounding an agreement with Egyptian international star Mohamed Salah.
Mohamed Salah
Club: Free agent
Turkish reports indicated that Trabzon had reached a preliminary agreement with Salah to sign him this summer.
The platform "Sports Digitale" reported that Trabzonspor reached a preliminary agreement with Salah pending a final deal.
News of Trabzon's agreement with Salah did not last long before the Turkish club's president came out to end the controversy.
Turkish journalist Onur Tascioglu said via his X account: "I met with Trabzonspor president Ertugrul Dogan, and he confirmed to me that the circulating rumors about Mohamed Salah's transfer are not true".
ÖZEL | Trabzonspor Başkanı Ertuğrul Doğan ile görüştüm. Salah transferiyle ilgili çıkan iddiaların doğru olmadığını söyledi.@OnurTascioglu
Salah had been linked in recent weeks with a move to Turkish club Besiktas before negotiations stalled.
Besiktas Turkish club's sporting director Onder Ozen announced his club's withdrawal from negotiations with Egyptian national team star Mohamed Salah.
Onder said in a press conference: "Requests started arriving that would complicate the financial side of the deal. I assume a respected player like Mohamed Salah is unaware of these details. But through his agent, financial demands related to image rights emerged, at a scale the club had never granted to any player or staff member before".
He added, "Our respected president precisely identified the point at which we must stop. Management is a legal matter, and there is a legal percentage for commissions. Exceeding this percentage could mean entering into illegal matters on some side. Therefore, our president made a realistic decision instead of a fan-driven one. At the present time, we have withdrawn from the negotiating table".
He clarified, "Besiktas's offer to sign Mohamed Salah, under the terms set by the club, remains on the table. If a positive response comes to this offer, we can talk about completing the deal. But we will not make any other offer besides this one. If the player's representatives wish to continue negotiations, that is up to them. They also informed us that they are negotiating with other parties as well. We will not back down from our position, and for us, the file ends here".
He explained, "We met with Mohamed Salah three times. My meetings with him were dedicated to explaining the Besiktas project, the team's squad, playing style, club goals, the nature of the historical rivalry, and the atmosphere inside the club. The next day, our coach met with him, where discussions took place on tactical aspects".
He concluded his remarks, "Thus, the technical side of the negotiations was completed. But when we began discussing financial matters, the smoothness that existed in the early days faded, starting from July 21. The pace of information exchange slowed, and requests began arriving that would lead to complications on the financial side".
A report had previously revealed the reason for Salah's desire to experience the Turkish league. (See details)
It is noted that Salah's transfer to Besiktas attracts great interest from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (See details)
Mohamed Salah ended his career with Liverpool at the end of last season, after 9 years spent with the Reds.
Mohamed Salah returned with the Egyptian national team from the World Cup after exiting in the round of 16 against Argentina.
