Mohamed Elneny’s father is hoping to see the Arsenal midfielder return to Egypt with Al Ahly when his time at the Premier League giants comes to an end, speaking to Aslan Arenasi.
Earlier this week, Nasser Elneny all-but ruled out a January departure for Arsenal’s seldom-seen midfielder.
The 29-year-old, he said, still had a part of play under Mikel Arteta, even if he has found game time hard to come by in the Premier League this season.
Elneny has played just 54 minutes under Mikel Arteta thus far, restricted to a cameo role in Saturday’s 4-0 thumping at the hands of Liverpool after falling behind Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Albert Sambi Lokonga in the pecking order.
But while the former Basel ace looks set to stay in North London for the time being, it would be a major surprise if he was still plying his trade at the Emirates in 12 months’ time.
Elneny’s £50,000-a-week contract is due to expire next summer.
And with Arsenal rumoured to be stepping up their interest in the prancing Portuguese playmaker Renato Sanches, it’s hard to imagine one of Arsene Wenger’s final signings putting pen to paper on an extension.
Is Elneny leaving Arsenal in 2022?
“Al Ahly is a great team,” Nasser Elneny admitted when asked if his son could see out his career back home in Egypt.
“If Mohammed returns to Ah Ahli, I would definitely not object to it.”
Elneny certainly has unfinished business at the Cairo-based giants, the most successful team in the history of Egyptian football with 42 league titles under their belt.
Elneny spent 11 years in the Al Ahly academy but never made a first-team appearance before moving on to Al Mokawloon in 2008.
The 83-cap veteran has also been linked with a move to Turkish powerhouses Galatasaray, his agent admitting that he’d be tempted by the prospect of a mid-season switch to Istanbul.
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