Mohamed Salah wants to represent Egypt in the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo, according to Egypt's U23 team coach Shawky Gharib. Gharib told ON Sport radio station that the forward has confirmed his desire to play in this summer's competition.
Egypt are allowed to name three overage players in their squad and have already written to Liverpool asking for permission to include the 28-year-old. However, Liverpool are not obliged to release Salah for Olympic duty, and manager Jurgen Klopp has previously seemed reluctant to sanction the forward's departure.
If Salah takes part, he would miss some of Liverpool's pre-season ahead of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign, which begins on Saturday, August 14. Gharib remains hopeful that the Reds will grant the request, saying: "We got Salah’s approval for playing at the Olympics before sending the request to Liverpool. We are still in discussions with the Premier League club regarding the tournament’s timing."
Gharib added that having experienced players would strengthen the team, but acknowledged the club may reject the request due to commitments at the same time. Egypt's U23 team began a two-week training camp on Tuesday and will name their 22-man squad on June 22. They face South Africa in two friendlies before the Olympics, where they are drawn with Spain, Argentina, and Australia.
Salah previously represented Egypt at the London 2012 Olympic Games shortly after joining Basel.
