Mohamed Salah’s sister, Rabab, has confirmed the heartbreaking news that their grandfather has passed away.
Reports in Egypt on Monday stated that Salah’s grandfather, Ahmed Abdel Aziz Al Bambi, had died, with funeral arrangements already being made. The funeral is expected to take place in Nagrig, Salah’s hometown.
Rabab Salah later confirmed the news on Facebook, writing: “We belong to Allah, and to Him we shall return. My dear and affectionate grandfather passed away. May Allah have mercy on him, forgive him, and grant him paradise.”
For now, it is not known whether Salah will travel back to Egypt to attend the funeral. The Liverpool winger featured in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester City.
Liverpool have a busy week ahead, facing Sunderland on Wednesday and Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
Salah is known to be very close to his family and often posts photos with relatives online, but he has remained inactive on social media since the City loss.
Recently, Ibrahima Konate was given almost two weeks of compassionate leave after the death of his father in France, missing three matches before returning for last week’s win over Newcastle United.
Arne Slot may provide an update on Salah’s situation during Tuesday’s pre-match press conference ahead of the Sunderland game.
Salah has started Liverpool’s last five matches since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations. Since joining the club in 2017, the 33-year-old has scored 251 goals in 426 appearances.
Meanwhile, Salah continues to be linked with a potential summer move to Saudi Arabia, with officials from the country previously admitting their interest in signing him