Egypt push for early release of Mohammed Salah ahead of AFCON 2025

Premier League giants, Liverpool risk losing Mohammed Salah for a longer period as the Egyptian Football Federation pushes for his release for pre-AFCON friendlies.

The 35^th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations will run from December 21 to January 18 in Morocco, with 24 countries set to compete for the covetous trophy.

The continental showpiece period rules Salah out of six Premier League games, including ties against Tottenham, Wolves, Leeds, Fulham, Arsenal, and Burnley.

This year’s schedule appears to be difficult for Liverpool since the tournament falls right in the middle of the busy holiday fixtures, unlike previous editions that started later in January and mainly affected cup matches.

Now, Egypt want Salah to report before the tournament for the warm-up match, which is FIFA-sanctioned. If he joins early, he will also miss Liverpool’s December 13 clash with Brighton, taking his total league absences to seven.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are reluctant to release him early, especially with their title hopes on the line. However, Egypt remain firm.

But Egypt remain firm, with national team technical director Ibrahim Hassan revealing contact with Liverpool for early release of Salah for the AFCON tournament.