Liverpool are pushing for agreements with three highly-rated playersplaceholder image
Liverpool are pushing for agreements with three highly-rated players | Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Liverpool are pushing for agreements with three highly-rated players
Premier League champions Liverpool are expected to activate a one-year contract extension for highly-rated 33-year-old goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
The Brazilian, who joined Liverpool from AS Roma in a blockbuster £67m transfer in 2018, has racked up more than 300 appearances for the Reds lifting two Premier League titles in the process and has very much lived up to James Horncastle’s prediction that he would become one of the great ‘goalkeepers of the future’.
Alisson, a 76-time Brazil international, is very much regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He’s a massive part of Arne Slot’s plans but is currently only contracted to the club until the end of the season.
The Athletic, however, understands Liverpool are relaxed about the situation and confident of keeping the goalkeeper on board. The champions crucially hold a one-year-option to extend the deal which the Athletic report is likely to be activated in the coming months.
Alisson hopes to extend his stay at Liverpool
While on international duty with Brazil, he explained: “I have one year left on my contract and another year of club option, which they will probably exercise.”
He did hint at a possible move to Saudi Arabia at some stage in his career, but didn’t suggest it was something that he’d pursue anytime soon, adding: “I never got to the point where I was talking about wages. It was just interest, but when you hear about the numbers the other players are getting [in Saudi Arabia] you are a little bit attracted. That is normal.
“At the end of the day, you play football for love, it is the thing you like to do, but it is our profession and we want to use the years that we have to make the most of it. I am open to that, but now is not the time. I am really focused on the things we have here at Liverpool and while I still have my contract here, I will be focused here.”
Andrew Robertson likely to depart in the summer
Andrew Robertson, who is now on nearly 360 appearances for Liverpool, is likely to depart when his contract expires in the summer.
The Athletic explains that Slot is gradually phasing out the Scottish international although they do see him as someone with the quality and experience to step up and do an excellent job when required.
They signed Milos Kerkez with the intention of making him their first choice for years to come, and are likely to sign a younger alternative to Robertson to compete with the Hungarian international in years to come.
Liverpool are also hoping to get new deals agreed for title-winning midfield duo Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai. Both were bedded into the club during Jurgen Klopp’s final summer as Reds boss before remaining integral under Slot.
They both signed five-year-deals when they arrived and still have more than two and half years remaining on their existing contracts with the club.
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