Egypt striker Mustafa Mohamed has been told to train with Nantes’ reserve team “until further notice” after returning late from his summer break amid a stand-off with the French club over his salary.
The 28-year-old forward finally reported back to Nantes’ training centre earlier this week, having been expected to join pre-season on 24 June.
Mohamed, omitted by Egypt coach Hossam Hassan from the Pharaohs’ 2026 World Cup campaign, had stayed away without authorisation, leaving Nantes officials unsure of his whereabouts and prompting escalating internal tension.
Late return sparks disciplinary response
According to regional newspaper Ouest-France, Mohamed trained alone on Wednesday, away from the first-team squad, which is currently on a week-long training camp in La Baule.
The paper reported that Nantes have decided that “the Egyptian pharaoh will then train with the reserve team until further notice” as an initial measure.
Club bosses had sent Mohamed a message every day since 24 June informing him that he would not be paid his salary until he returned to the training ground, the report added.
Coach angered by striker’s absence
Head coach Michel Der Zakarian was visibly frustrated when questioned about the situation and made clear he had little sympathy for the player.
He said the former Montpellier manager had “never seen such behaviour from a player before”, before delivering a blunt public message.
“The player does not want to come to training, that is his problem, not ours. If he does not want to train, he should stay at home,” Der Zakarian said.
The episode deepens uncertainty over Mohamed’s future at the club, which has just been relegated to Ligue 2.
Striker keen to leave after wage cut
Mohamed, who previously played for Zamalek and Galatasaray, has not hidden his wish to leave Nantes this summer, particularly after his salary was reduced following the team’s drop to the second tier of French football.
Relegation has forced Nantes to cut costs, and the club appears unwilling to build its promotion push around a player who has made clear he would prefer to move on.
From the club’s side, Ouest-France reported: “From his side, the French club, crowned league champions eight times, is not relying heavily on Mustafa Mohamed to lead the push for promotion to Ligue 1, but it does not intend to give up for free a player it signed for €6.5m from Galatasaray in 2023.”
Few offers and one year left on contract
Despite his desire to depart, serious interest in Mohamed is described as limited.
“However, the offers are not abundant for the Egyptian striker, who has only one year left on his contract,” the report said.
That leaves Nantes in a delicate position: keen to recoup a fee for a significant investment but facing the prospect of an unsettled player entering the final year of his deal, which could see his value drop further.
With Mohamed currently sidelined to individual sessions and reserve-team training, and his relationship with the club hierarchy under strain, his immediate future at Nantes – and whether any club will move to resolve the stand-off – remains unresolved as the new season approaches.
