Black Stars duo Kamaldeen Sulemana and Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer have withdrawn from the Black Meteors squad for the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Joy Sports understands.

The forwards were named in Ibrahim Tanko's provisional 29-man squad for the tournament as Ghana looks to secure a spot at next year's Olympic Games in Paris by finishing as one of the top three teams at the AFCON.

The two were part of three players in the Black Stars squad who were expected to team up with the Black Meteors after their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations involvement against Madagascar on Sunday, June 18, the other player being Ernest Nuamah.

However, Joy Sports checks reveal Kamaldeen and Ransford-Yeboah will no longer join Tanko's side for the tournament to be staged in Morocco.

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Kamaldeen featured against Madagascar, playing 62 minutes of the game before being replaced by Nuamah while Ransford-Yeboah played no part against the Barrea.

The two players are said not to be keen on featuring for the Meteors at the tournament while the Ghana Football Association (GFA) failed to also convince the clubs of the two players in releasing them for the tournament which is not sanctioned by FIFA.

Nuamah on the other hand played in the qualifiers with the team and proved pivotal, providing the assists in both legs against Algeria and also convinced Nordsjaelland to make him available for the competition.

With the withdrawal of the Southampton and Hamburg forwards, the head coach of the Black Meteors has 27 players, from which he will choose his final squad with Nuamah expected to join the rest of his mates in Morocco before the start of the competition.

Tanko's boys will be engaged in a friendly game against Egyptian side Zamalek SC on Tuesday, June 20, as they look to wrap up their camping in the North African country ahead of the tournament.

Ghana is drawn in Group A alongside hosts, Morocco, Guinea and Congo with the competition starting on Saturday, June 24.