Liverpool pair Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane could leave for the Africa Cup of Nations on December 27 and miss a total of eight games.
The star duo will no doubt be selected to represent their nations - Salah with Egypt and Mane for Senegal - and could potentially be absent for six Premier League games and two FA Cup clashes if they go the distance at the tournament, according to The Athletic.
Those picked to play in the competition could well leave for Africa after the Premier League’s Boxing Day fixtures and not return until the second week of February.
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FIFA rules state “players must be released and start travel to their representative team no later than Monday morning the week preceding the week when the relevant final competition starts.”
With hosts Cameroon taking on Burkina Faso in the opener on Sunday, January 9 then that date will be December 27.
The report states ‘discussions between clubs and national FAs are likely to centre on an interpretation of the rules’ and with the majority of countries not playing their game until 10th-12th January, English teams could argue Monday, January 3rd would be a reasonable departure date.
If that was the case, it would mean Liverpool would have Salah, Mane and Naby Keita of Guinea available to face title rivals Chelsea on January 2 which would be a massive boost.
Should the players depart in December, the west London outfit could also be without Mane’s Senegal team-mate Edouard Mendy, the in-form goalkeeper who has helped Chelsea top the Premier League table after eight games, a point above the Reds.
The ECHO understands that no decision has been made over when the players will depart as of yet, with Liverpool likely to enter into discussions with the respective federations after the next international break in November.
During the course of the Africa Cup of Nations, the Reds will face Leicester home and away, while also hosting Brentford and travelling to Crystal Palace. The FA Cup Third Round will take place the weekend commencing Saturday, January 8. There is also a potential League Cup semi-final, should the Reds progress that far.
Salah has been in stunning form this season and, has scored in all but one of Liverpool’s game this season.
Finding the net twelve times in eleven games, the forward hit a stunner in the 5-0 win over Watford before grabbing a brace in Tuesday’s 3-2 Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid.
Mane, too, has three goals in his last four games and six for the campaign so far, scoring in the September 5-1 win at Porto which helped see Liverpool top Group B with three wins from three.
