Liverpool have handed out a lot of new contracts in recent weeks – but they have a number of well-known players who could leave the club for free next summer.
The likes of Mohamed Salah, Joe Gomez, Diogo Jota and Harvey Elliott have all committed ther futures to the club and won’t be going anywhere.
But some of their teammates face uncertain futures and could potentially leave on a free transfer at the end of the 2022/23 season.
We’ve taken a look at five Liverpool players who currently have less than a year left on their contract.
Roberto Firmino
Alongside Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, Firmino was an integral part of one of the greatest attacking trios in Premier League history.
The Brazil international has scored over 100 goals for Liverpool, helping Jurgen Klopp’s side win the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA World Club Cup.
But the Reds have significantly revamped their forward line in 2022, signing Luis Diaz from Porto and Darwin Nunez from Benfica. While Salah ultimately signed a new three-year contract at Anfield, Mane was allowed to leave the club and joined Bayern Munich in the summer.
Firmino nearly followed Mane out of the exit door and was heavily linked with Juventus. However, Klopp made clear he still wanted him at Anfield and a move failed to materialise.
“Bobby is crucial for us,” Klopp said in July 2022. “Bobby is [the] heart and soul of this team. “The way we played in the last few years was only possible because of Bobby. That’s why I’m really happy he could train the majority of the time here in the pre-season so far and everything looks really good.
“I am absolutely fine and, for me, there’s no doubt about his quality. All the rest, we will see how this year goes, but yes, he is essential for us.”
Despite Klopp’s comments, the 30-year-old is no longer one of the first names on the team sheet and there’s reportedly been little progress in discussions about a contract extension.
🗣️ Klopp: "For people with football knowledge, I'm pretty sure they'll write books about the way Bobby [Firmino] interpreted the false-nine position."@LFC | #UCL pic.twitter.com/Lesl7rsFq7
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 5, 2022
Naby Keita
Having starred at Red Bull Leipzig, expectations were high when Keita completed a £48million move to Liverpool in 2018.
The midfielder has struggled to justify that price tag during his time on Merseyside as a series of injury problems have halted his progress.
He’s behind Fabnho, Jordan Henderson and Thiago in the pecking order but is still highly-regarded by his manager and started in both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals last season.
“Naby’s future will be great, I know that because of the player he is. Until then it makes no sense [to talk about his contract],” Klopp said ahead of Keita’s 100th appearance for the club in March 2022.
“I heard if Naby plays it will be game 100, it is an impressive number but it could have been more because he is sometimes injured. When he looks back at how he played he is an exceptional footballer, that is why we brought him in the first place. Of those 100 games, I think 80 were really good.”
The Atheltic claimed that Liverpool were trying to tie him down to a new deal. However, Sky Sports Germany have since reported that negotiations between the club and the player have stopped and there is no agreement in sight.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Oxlade-Chamberlain joined Liverpool from Arsenal in a £35million move in 2017 but has struggled to stay fit ever since he suffered cruciate ligament damage in April 2018.
The England international hasn’t been able to hold down a place in Klopp’s first-choice XI and started just nine Premier League games in 2021/22.
Liverpool were reportedly willing to sell him for just £10million during the summer transfer window but didn’t recieve any offers.
The 29-year-old is currently on the sidelines after picking up a hamstring injury in pre-season and a new contract doesn’t seem to be forthcoming.
James Milner
Since joining Liverpool on a free from Manchester City back in the summer of 2015, Milner has been a fantastic servant to the club.
The midfielder, who is closing in on his 300th appearance for the Reds, can still operate at the highest level and also has a huge influence on the dressing room.
“He’s a role model,” Klopp said in April of this year. “I have told him, I can tell the whole world – nothing we have achieved in the last few years would have happened without James Milner, it’s as easy as that.
“Whether he was on the pitch or not, he’s set standards in a way not a lot of people can set standards, and it educated all of us.”
Milner could have left Liverpool on a free transfer at the end of last season but accepted reduced personal terms and signed a one-year contract extension. The 36-year-old reportedly rejected offers from other Premier League clubs, who were willing to give him a longer deal until 2024.
It remains to be seen whether Liverpool will offer Milner another contract extension at the end of the current season.
Adrian
After leaving West Ham United, Adrian joined Liverpool on a free transfer in 2019 and acted as back up to Alisson Becker.
He made his first start for the Reds during the UEFA Super Cup game against Chelsea and saved Tammy Abraham’s spot-kick in a penalty shootout victory.
The Spaniard has since made some high-profile mistakes and is now the third-choice goalkeeper at Anfield after being usurped by Caomhin Kelleher.
He made just one first-team appearance in 2021-22, featuring in a Carabao Cup fourth round win over Preston North End. The 35-year-old is set to remain on the fringes of Klopp’s squad throughout 2022-23 and is already thinking about his next move.
“I would say yes, with a little more force,” he told Cadena SER in May of this year when asked if he would consider returning to his homeland.
“Obviously, the earth pulls a little, I would like to return to La Liga, but that is always the opportunity. But I still have a year left on my contract.”
