Liverpool ‘will not renew Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita contracts’
Liverpool have reportedly made a firm decision not to renew the contracts of Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this summer.
Both midfielders have endured an injury-hit few years at Liverpool since their respective arrivals and have failed to force their way into Jurgen Klopp’s first XI on a consistent basis.
All of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Stefan Bajcetic, Curtis Jones, Thiago Alcantara, James Milner and Harvey Elliott are above the pair in the pecking order, and they are due to become free agents this summer.
Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain have shown glimpses of quality at Anfield, but the consensus is that neither man’s long-term future belongs in Merseyside.
The duo have been widely expected to depart at the end of the season, and The Athletic now reports that Liverpool will allow them to head for the exit door when their contracts expire.
Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain’s exits will form one part of a mass midfield shake-up for Liverpool, who will not exercise their option to sign Arthur from Juventus permanently either.
James Milner is also out of contract in June, but he is still seen as a valuable player for Klopp and could be offered a new short-term deal to keep him on the books for another season.
Despite his lengthy injury record, Keita will supposedly not be short of suitors when he departs, and a shock move to Barcelona for the 2023-24 campaign has been mooted.
RB Leipzig are also said to be open to welcoming the Guinea international back to the Bundesliga, where his emergence earned him a €60m (£53.1m) switch to Liverpool in 2018.
Keita has since posted 11 goals and seven assists in 129 games for the Reds, but he has played just 13 times in all competitions this season due to injury.
Meanwhile, Oxlade-Chamberlain has a mere 12 appearances under his belt during the 2022-23 campaign, including four Premier League starts and a consolation goal in January’s 3-1 loss to Brentford.
However, the former Arsenal man has failed to make Liverpool’s squad for five of their last six Premier League matches, although he was a late substitute in their Champions League last-16 second leg loss to Real Madrid in midweek.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has registered a total of 18 goals and 15 assists in 145 outings for Liverpool since joining in 2017, and the Englishman’s departure could open up a space for compatriot Jude Bellingham to join.
Borussia Dortmund will hold out for a nine-figure fee for Bellingham this summer, but Liverpool are still said to be confident of winning the race for his signature, even without Champions League football.
A recent report claimed that the Reds are also close to agreeing a deal to sign Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch, while another target – Mason Mount – has supposedly been told that he is free to leave Chelsea amid a contract stand-off.
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