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The Indomitable Lions have been without the ex Arsenal and Mallorca wing-back since he retired from international football after the 2002 World Cup, but former Zamalek coach Pfister is keen to restore the 30-year-old to the squad.

"I want to make contact and to get him to play," the German tactician declared.

Lauren is Cameroonian by birth but his parents hail from Equatorial Guinea and he was brought up in Spain. He has won two African Nations Cups with Cameron and has been capped 24 times.

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While one of Africa's top nations is trying to convince Lauren to return for his country, one of the lesser lights have left out a Pompey defensive team-mate. Djimi Traore, formerly of Liverpool, has been excluded from Mali's preliminary squad of 28 for next month's finals in Ghana.

Traore has not played for Mali for the last year and was omitted from the side when he went on holiday rather than play for the country in two African Nations Cup qualifiers in June.

Coach Jean Francois Jodar has handed a recall to Auxerre defender Sammy Traore, whose last game was also in October 2006 and Sekou Berthe, who had been suspended.

French-born Oumar Sissoko, who has played a single game for Metz, has been called up for the first time and is one of just two goalkeepers named in the squad. Also in the squad for the first time are 18-year-old Nice midfielder Mahamane Traore and Amiens striker Bakaye Traore.

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Everton striker Yakubu is one seven English based players who have been named in Nigeria's 31-strong squad to prepare for the tournament.

Yakubu, who notched his second hat-trick of the season in a 3-0 Premier League win over Fulham last weekend, is back in the squad after falling out of favour with the Nigerian FA following several run-ins earlier this year.

He was sent home from the 2004 tournament in Tunisia for breaking camp rules and was not called up for Nigeria's friendlies against Mexico in September and Australia and Switzerland last month.

Nigeria coach Berti Vogts also recalled former first-choice goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, who had been passed over in the build-up to the tournament.

However, the German left out Yakubu's Everton strike partner Victor Anichebe from the squad that will begin a training camp in Malaga, Spain on January 4.

Anichebe was called up during the qualifiers and the friendlies, but is yet to play a game for Nigeria.

Three players from the domestic league, two of whom were in the team who won the Under-17 World Cup in September, were also called up to train with the other established players to gain experience, Vogts said.

The Nigeria FA said last week it had agreed a new bonus scheme with the players to forestall any pay row during the tournament.

Pay disputes are common between Nigerian players and the FA, with the high-profile players often accusing FA officials of short-changing them. Pay disputes have led to players boycotting friendlies in the past, prompting officials to accuse players of greed and a lack of patriotism.

Under the new bonus scheme, the players will each receive $49,000 if they win the tournament.

Nigeria are drawn in Group B with Ivory Coast, Mali and Benin for the first round preliminary matches.

Nigeria have won the Africa Nations Cup twice, in 1980 as hosts and in 1994 in Tunisia.

Squad:

Austin Ejide (Bastia), Dele Aiyenugba (Bnei Yehuda), Vincent Enyeama (Hapoel Tel Aviv); Rabiu Afolabi (Sochaux), Danny Shittu (Watford), Onyekachi Apam (Nice), Obinna Nwaneri (FC Sion), Joseph Yobo (Everton), Ifeanyi Emeghara (Steaua Bucharest), Kingsley Udoh (Akwa United), Efe Ambrose (Kaduna United), Taye Taiwo (Marseille); Seyi Olofinjana (Wolves), Dickson Etuhu (Sunderland), Richard Eromoigbe (Levski Sofia), John Obi Mikel (Chelsea), Sani Kaita (Sparta Rotterdam), Onyekachi Okonkwo (FC Zurich), Yusuf Ayila (Dynamo Kiev), Lukman Haruna (Crystal Academy), Rabiu Ibrahim (Sporting Lisbon), Oladapo Olufemi (Boavista); Nwankwo Kanu (Portsmouth), John Utaka (Portsmouth); Osaze Odemwingie (Lokomotiv Moscow), Mannaseh Ishiaku (Duisburg), Ikechukwu Uche (Getafe), Yakubu Aiyegbeni (Everton); Ayodele Makinwa (Lazio), Obinna Nsofor (Chievo Verona); Obafemi Martins (Newcastle United).

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South Africa are to play two friendlies at home before they head to the finals, officials said. They will play Mozambique on January 13th and Botswana three days later. The venues for the matches will be decided next week.

The Bafana Bafana are in group D at the Nations Cup, where they meet Angola, Senegal and Tunisia in Tamale and Kumasi.

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Cup holders Egypt have added a third friendly to their warm-up schedule ahead of the African Nations Cup finals, the country's football association announced.

The Pharaohs will meet fellow finalists Angola in Portugal on January 13th Angola will be based on the Algarve for their pre-tournament camp. Egypt had already fixed friendlies against Namibia in Cairo on January 5th and Mali in Abu Dhabi five days later.

Reda Maher & / Reuters