Joe Gomez has been deemed “likely” to stay at Liverpool and see out the final year of his contract in the aftermath of Ibrahima Konate‘s exit news.
Gomez is Liverpool’s currently longest-serving player, with the 2025/26 season marking his 11th campaign at the club.
The 29-year-old has one year on his contract and, like seemingly every transfer window, is attracting interest in his services.
The *Mail*‘s Lewis Steele recently noted he has suitors in the Premier League and abroad, with Aston Villa the latest to be credited with interest.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Monday, March 9, 2026: Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez during a training session at the AXA Training Centre ahead of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 1st Leg match between Galatasaray Sk and Liverpool FC. (Photo by Jessica Hornby/Propaganda)
It has long been the expectation that he would move on in the summer, but with Liverpool walking away from a contract renewal for Konate, their senior centre-back ranks have dropped to four.
It has led the Athletic‘s James Pearce to deem Gomez as “likely to stay for the final year of his contract,” joining Virgil van Dijk, Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni as the centre-back options.
While Pearce notes that Liverpool “have bigger priorities than buying another centre-back,” he was also right to state it would “be a sizeable gamble” to play the season with only four options.
Van Dijk will be 35 and coming off a 5,000+ minute campaign, Leoni will be fresh off a season derailed by an ACL injury, and Jacquet will need time to adjust and settle in.
Liverpool only need to look at recent history to know the danger of leaving themselves short at centre-back, which makes the collapsed move for Marc Guehi all the more exasperating.
Gomez featured 33 times in 2025/26, but made only 16 starts for a total of 1,385 minutes, 3,556 minutes less than Van Dijk’s tally, and 2,895 less than Konate.
Liverpool have invested in young centre-backs
Liverpool centre-back Ifeanyi Ndukwe completes his transfer from Austria Vienna. Credit: @as1sports (IG)
While it remains to be seen if Liverpool will add senior depth to their centre-back ranks, they have invested in youth signings in the position in recent months.
The club confirmed a deal worth around £2.6 million with Austria Vienna at the start of the year to sign centre-back Ifeanyi Ndukwe, 18, who will arrive in the summer.
He is expected to join Rob Page’s U21s squad for pre-season in July, but could get an opportunity with the first team before Van Dijk returns from the World Cup.
Liverpool also added Mor Talla Ndiaye, 18, and Noah Adekoya, 19, from Amitie FC and Burnley respectively.
The trio are considered as additions to the academy, but Ndiaye was named in three first-team squads to close out the season as Arne Slot‘s side battled with injury.
With Liverpool’s head coach describing the season just gone as one defined by injury, he will surely be aware of the need to ensure he is not left short in his bid to earn a new contract.