Liverpool and Egypt could be set for a clash over AFCON plans as Mohamed Salah’s stance becomes clear.

Mohamed Salah could soon be caught in a dispute between Liverpool and the Egyptian national team over his availability in the coming weeks.

The 33-year-old forward is set to miss Liverpool’s festive fixtures while representing Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which takes place from 21 December to 18 January in Morocco. Egypt are among the favourites to go far in the tournament.

Reports from Egypt suggest that head coach Hossam Hassan plans to call up his squad two weeks before the competition begins, which could further limit Salah’s time with Liverpool.

According to Lewis Steele’s Liverpool Confidential column for Mail Sport, Salah is expected to meet with Hassan next week to discuss a compromise. The coach is allowed to summon him a fortnight before AFCON starts — meaning Salah could miss Liverpool’s Champions League trip to Inter Milan on 9 December and their home Premier League match against Brighton four days later.

Salah’s preference, however, is to remain with Liverpool for those two fixtures before joining the national team. Since Liverpool have already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup, there’s a gap in the schedule after the Brighton game that could make this feasible.

In the best-case scenario for Liverpool, Salah would leave after those matches and Egypt would make an early AFCON exit, allowing him to return by the New Year’s Day clash against Leeds — though it would still be a tight turnaround.

If, on the other hand, he reports for the full pre-tournament camp and Egypt progress deep into the competition, Salah could miss up to eight Liverpool matches, including tough away games at Tottenham and Arsenal.

This will be the third time Salah has left mid-season for AFCON. While his 2021 absence went smoothly, his early return from injury during the 2023 edition frustrated Egyptian fans and disrupted his form for the rest of the campaign, coinciding with Liverpool’s title challenge fading.

Manager Arne Slot will be hoping for a different outcome this time, with Salah eager to delay his departure as long as possible and both parties looking to reach a respectful agreement.