10 June 2026·By Paul Lindisfarne
Fenerbahce president Aziz Yildirim has confirmed the club will pursue Mohamed Salah if the transfer is deemed a priority, with a former director revealing advanced talks had already taken place with the Liverpool legend.
Yildirim was re-elected as Fenerbahce president at an extraordinary general assembly, returning to power after an eight-year absence following the tenure of Sadettin Saran. The Salah question was one of the first issues he faced.
"Mohamed Salah is asking for a salary of €20 million. With taxes, that rises to €30 million. He wants a three-year contract, which means a total cost of €90 million," Yildirim said.
> "If there is an urgent need, we will sign him. Our football committee will decide on these matters."
Ertan Torunogullari, a board member under the previous Saran administration who served as the football executive in Saran's election team, went further, disclosing that substantive talks had already been held with Salah's camp under the old regime.
"He was very keen on coming to Turkey. The meetings he had with us were extremely positive. We had established common ground with him on many issues, including his salary," Torunogullari said.
"If the new administration wants such a move, I believe Salah will wear the Fenerbahce shirt. We would gladly work with the new management on the talks."
Salah departed Liverpool at the end of the 2025-26 season after nine years at Anfield, with the club confirming in March that his contract would be mutually terminated. He scored 257 goals in 442 appearances across all competitions and won the Premier League twice, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two League Cups during his time on Merseyside. His final season saw him score 12 goals in 41 appearances — well below his historic standards.
The financial scale of the deal would make it one of the most expensive in Turkish football history. Fenerbahce supporters have also drawn comparisons with Galatasaray's continued retention of Victor Osimhen, framing a potential Salah deal as a direct competitive response to their Istanbul rivals.
Salah has not yet announced a destination. The World Cup, in which he represents Egypt, provides a natural staging post before any decision is finalised.
A €90 million commitment over three years would test any club. Whether Fenerbahce's new president is prepared to follow through on campaign rhetoric when confronted with the numbers on the table is a different question entirely.