Mohamed Salah set for Trabzonspor move as Al-Kholood owner mocks Saudi league

US businessman Ben Harburg, owner of Saudi Arabian club Al-Kholood, has mocked Mohamed Salah’s expected move to Trabzonspor by claiming the Saudi Pro League is not the place for a “retirement holiday”.

Trabzonspor announced on Tuesday evening that it had begun formal negotiations to sign the Egypt international, potentially paving the way for one of the most notable transfers of the window.

Minutes before the announcement, Trabzonspor’s official account on X posted a video featuring the Egyptian pyramids. The imagery was widely presented as a hint that the Turkish club was close to completing a deal for Salah.

Salah left Liverpool at the end of last season after nine years at Anfield, a period in which he collected a series of individual and team honours.

His next destination had been the subject of considerable speculation since his departure. A move to the Saudi Pro League had been widely expected, with Al-Ittihad frequently mentioned in reports as a club that had tried to sign him.

However, the latest indications suggest Salah has chosen Turkey instead. If completed, the transfer to Trabzonspor would open a new chapter in the 33-year-old’s career after his long spell with Liverpool.

Harburg responded to the developments in a post on his official X account.

“He has gone to the right league.. the Saudi Pro League is not the right place to spend a retirement holiday,” he wrote.

Trabzonspor’s announcement of formal talks does not, by itself, confirm that an agreement has been reached. But the club’s statement, together with the pyramid video, has strengthened expectations that Salah is close to joining the Turkish side.

The move would represent a significant change of direction from the destination many observers had anticipated. Saudi clubs, and Al-Ittihad in particular, had been repeatedly linked with the forward in reports following his Liverpool exit.

Instead, Salah now appears set to continue his career in the Turkish league, with Trabzonspor emerging as his likely next club.

His departure from Liverpool brought an end to a nine-year association with the club and followed a spell defined by success at both individual and collective level. The prospect of him moving to Saudi Arabia had dominated much of the discussion about his future, but the negotiations announced by Trabzonspor suggest that expectation may not be fulfilled.

For now, the Turkish club has confirmed only that discussions have started. Any completed transfer would make Salah one of the most prominent arrivals in the current window and give Trabzonspor a major new headline figure as they prepare for the next phase of his career.