Key Liverpool star hints at Anfield exit with contract expiring next summer

Arne Slot could be losing another key Liverpool player after Trent Alexander-Arnold (Photo: Getty)

A key Liverpool star has revealed he would like to return to his boyhood club in the near-future, as his Anfield contract enters its final season.

Fresh from lifting the Premier League trophy, Arne Slot has been making moves in the transfer window, signing Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen, with a deal for Milos Kerkez also in the pipeline.

But there have also been some big departures with Trent Alexander-Arnold completing a divisive transfer to Real Madrid, while Caoimhin Kelleher has joined Brentford.

And there could be another major exit on the horizon as Alisson Becker has entered the final year of his contract, though the club have the option to extend it until 2027.

Liverpool signed Alisson from Roma for £52million in 2018, a then-record transfer for a goalkeeper, and he’s been worth every penny, winning two Premier League titles, the Champions League, the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup and the Club World Cup.

Last season he conceded just 29 goals in 28 Premier League appearances, keeping 10 clean sheets, and could well have won the Golden Glove award if not for injury issues.

Moreover, the Brazilian’s magnificent performance in the UCL win over PSG cemented his status as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

Alisson Becker is one of the best goalkeepers in the world (Photo: Getty)

Addressing his future, the 32-year-old said over the weekend: ‘I’ve never been able to plan long term. Obviously now I have one year left on my contract and another year of club option, which they will probably exercise.

‘It’s a decisive moment in my career, with a World Cup coming up. I want to be very focused, I don’t want anything external to get in the way of that.’

Liverpool have already begun planning for life after Alisson, signing the highly-rated Giorgi Mamardashvili and Armin Pecsi, with the former not content to be a back-up keeper.

Liverpool have signed Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia (Photo: Getty)

And Alisson himself has suggested he doesn’t have long left at Anfield, expressing his desire to return to boyhood club Internacional while he can still play ‘at a high level’.

Several high profile Brazil players have gone back to play in their homeland in recent times, including Neymar, Thiago Silva and former Liverpool ace Philippe Coutinho.

‘I talk to athletes who have made this move to return, some have had good experiences, others not,’ Alisson replied when asked if he could follow suit.

‘Each one will have their own experience, but I want to return, especially to Inter. I don’t know when it will happen, but I still want to do it at a high level. That’s what I have planned.’

For now though, Alisson’s focus will just be on securing Brazil’s place at the World Cup before gearing up for the new season, which Liverpool will kick-off on August 10 with the Community Shield against Crystal Palace.

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