Salah’s Trabzonspor talks prompt Saudi Pro League retirement jibe

Ben Harburg, the American businessman who owns Saudi Pro League club Al-Kholood, has mocked Mohamed Salah’s expected move to Trabzonspor by saying the Saudi league is not the right place for a “retirement holiday”.

Trabzonspor announced on Tuesday evening that it had opened formal negotiations to sign the Egypt international, in a move that could lead to one of the most notable transfers of the window.

The Turkish club had appeared to hint at its interest shortly before confirming the talks. Its official account on X published a video featuring Egypt’s pyramids, suggesting that an agreement with Salah could be close.

Salah left Liverpool at the end of last season after nine years at Anfield, a period in which he established himself as one of the club’s leading players and collected a series of individual and team achievements.

The forward’s next destination had been the subject of widespread speculation since his departure from Liverpool. A move to the Saudi Pro League was widely expected, with Al-Ittihad among the clubs reported to have made efforts to recruit him.

However, the latest developments indicate that Salah has chosen a new challenge in Turkey, with Trabzonspor now in formal discussions over a potential deal.

Harburg responded to the news in a post on his official X account, writing: “He has gone to the right league.. The Saudi Pro League is not the right place to spend a retirement holiday”.

The remarks represent a pointed response to the expectation that Salah could continue his career in Saudi Arabia. Instead, the negotiations with Trabzonspor suggest that the 33-year-old could begin the next chapter of his career in the Turkish league.

No final agreement has been confirmed, but Trabzonspor’s announcement marks the clearest indication so far that the club is pursuing Salah. The reference to the pyramids in its earlier social-media video had already fuelled speculation before the formal negotiations were made public.

For much of the period following Salah’s Liverpool exit, attention had focused on whether he would join Al-Ittihad or another Saudi Pro League side. Those reports made a move to Saudi Arabia one of the most anticipated possibilities for the former Liverpool forward.

Trabzonspor’s intervention has now shifted the focus to Turkey. If the negotiations lead to a completed transfer, Salah will start a fresh stage of his career after nine seasons at Anfield, while the Saudi league will miss out on a player whose next move had been closely watched.