Beşiktaş President Serdal Adalı has revealed that the club secured Belgian winger Leandro Trossard on a more favorable financial package than originally planned, following a failed attempt to sign the Arsenal player last summer.
Adalı, speaking after the 31-year-old’s arrival in Istanbul, disclosed that the club’s persistent interest ultimately resulted in a lower financial commitment.
Previous Bid of €25m and Lower Wages Now
The Beşiktaş president confirmed that the club had actively pursued Trossard during the previous summer transfer window but were blocked by Arsenal.
“Last year, I offered €25 million for Trossard and a salary of €8 million, but it didn’t happen—they wouldn’t let him go,” Adalı explained. “This time, we are signing him for lower wages.”
Despite the player’s age, negotiations with Arsenal remained highly competitive. Adalı added that even for a 31-year-old player, the Premier League club insisted on inserting a future sell-on clause into the transfer agreement.
Club Debt Reduced Significantly
Addressing the broader financial strategy of the club, Adalı dismissed criticism regarding Beşiktaş’s transfer spending. He highlighted that the club’s bank debt has been slashed from €128 million to €53 million under his leadership.
According to Adalı, the financial recovery has been heavily aided by the club’s “Dikilitaş” real estate development project, which generated 1.5 billion Turkish Lira. A total of 3 billion Lira has been paid back to banks to manage the club’s debt and lower its interest burden.
The president defended the club’s active transfer window, noting that the rest of the funds from the real estate venture would continue to be directed toward strengthening the squad.
Additional Squad Planning
During the briefing, Adalı also addressed the club’s coaching and recruitment dynamics.
Kassoum Ouattara Transfer: Adalı confirmed that the signing of left-back Kassoum Ouattara was made at the direct request of Beşiktaş manager Vincenzo Italiano.
Transfer Strategy: The president noted that while other options were under consideration, the recruitment team moved swiftly to secure Ouattara once Italiano made his preference clear.