Abdul Khalili

Abdul Rahman "Abbe" Khalili (Arabic: عبد الرحمن خليلي; born 7 June 1992) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder.

Club career

Early career and Helsingborgs IF

Born and raised in Helsingborg, Khalili started playing football with local club Högaborgs BK as a youngster. He later moved to Helsingborgs IF and made his debut in Allsvenskan, Sweden's first tier, by making two appearances in 2010.

In 2011, he was loaned to IFK Värnamo in Superettan, the domestic second division. The transfer was made permanent at the end of the season. He stayed for two more years with the club, mostly competing at the bottom half of the table, but left by mutual consent at the end of 2013. In total, Khalili played 40 league games and scored five goals for IFK Värnamo.

Ahead of the 2014 season, Khalili was re-signed by Helsingborgs IF. Under manager Roar Hansen, he had his major breakthrough and established himself as a starter in Allsvenskan, playing 12 games and scoring once during the first half of the season. In the semi-final of the 2013–14 Svenska Cupen, Khalili scored as Helsingborgs IF eliminated local rival Malmö FF through a 2–0 win.

Years in Turkey

In the 2014 summer transfer window, Khalili transferred to Mersin İdman Yurdu in the Turkish Süper Lig on a three-year deal, for a reported fee of around 6 million Swedish kronor. His teammate Loret Sadiku had just completed a similar transfer. Khalili soon became a key player for Mersin İdman Yurdu. In the summer of 2015, he reportedly attracted interest from Spanish club Real Betis and other Turkish sides, but a transfer was not materialised due to a high asking price of around €5 million.