Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah could miss the start of the next Premier League season... so he can play at the Olympics.
Egypt have earned a place at Tokyo 2020, which takes place from July 22 to August 8.
The Pharaohs reached the final of the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations, which secured them a spot at the games.
As per Olympic football rules, every country can use three players over the age of 23 which means Egypt may look to draft in Salah to boost their chances of winning a medal.
If he can be convinced, he would miss all of pre-season as well as the start of the 2020/21 campaign.
The Under-23s head coach Shawky Gharib hinted that he would be keen to include the Liverpool forward in his squad next summer.
He said: "As an Egyptian, I'm so proud of what he [Salah] is doing with Liverpool. He is an amazing player and makes the whole nation proud.
"But it is too early to talk about whether I will pick him to be with us in Tokyo 2020. I will think about the players that my team will need and then I will announce."
Liverpool are unlikely to be keen for Salah to be involved in yet another tournament over the summer months.
He took part in last summer's Africa Cup of Nations where Egypt were knocked out at the round of 16 by South Africa.
Salah is currently nursing an ankle injury and has been confirmed to miss the Reds' clash with Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Comments