Italiano’s Besiktas confirm Vlahovic talks, explain Salah abandonment | OneFootball

Besiktas President Serdal Adali confirmed they are ‘talking to Dusan Vlahovic’ about a deal for the former Juventus striker, after refusing to meet Mohamed Salah’s terms.

The Turkish club is confident it has a secret weapon in tempting Vlahovic to the Super Lig, specifically the presence of coach Vincenzo Italiano, who already worked with the Serbian at Fiorentina.

The forward has been a free agent since July 1, when his contract with Juventus was allowed to run down.

Vlahovic unsure about Besiktas

TURIN, ITALY – MAY 03: Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus FC celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and Hellas Verona FC at Allianz Stadium on May 3, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

He had left the door open for a potential new deal with Juve at a reduced salary, but has largely been waiting for the big clubs in the Premier League, LaLiga or Bundesliga to make him an offer.

So far, that has not happened, with Besiktas emerging as the most likely option.

“We are working on it, we are talking to Vlahovic,” confirmed President Serdal Adali to reporters today.

TURIN, ITALY – NOVEMBER 04: Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus reacts during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD4 match between Juventus and Sporting Clube de Portugal at Juventus Stadium on November 04, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Stefano Guidi/Getty Images)

Besiktas have the budget for him now, because they abandoned the attempts to sign another free agent, ex-Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah.

They had complained publicly about the ‘unacceptable’ demands, including a large cut of the merchandise sales and a huge commission for his agent.

Instead, Salah arrived today to complete a transfer to Trabzonspor.

“I watch with sadness that people seem to act like we were at the table and someone came to take him away. The Salah move didn’t go through because we did not want it to with those terms,” added the President.