Jurgen Klopp has said he expects Simon Mignolet to remain at Liverpool following positive discussions with the goalkeeper.
The 31-year-old, demoted as the club’s No. 1 first to Loris Karius from January 2018 then again after the £65 million signing of Alisson last summer, was considering departing Anfield in search of more game time.
– Premier League fixtures 2019-20 in full
– Who has qualified for Europe from the Premier League?
– When does the transfer window close?
Crystal Palace have been linked with the Belgium international, but as revealed by ESPN last month, the European champions would rebuff their advances. Liverpool want to keep Mignolet, with sporting director Michael Edwards not putting a price on him.
And following the 3-1 preseason victory over Bradford City, Klopp disclosed a talk with the goalkeeper that suggests he will extend his six-year spell with the club.
“Yeah, how I’ve heard,” Klopp responded when asked whether Mignolet will remain with Liverpool. “I’ve had a lot of conversations with him over the last couple of years and months.
“Before we left [for holiday], we had a talk and I would say, yes [he will stay]. I think at a club like Liverpool you need two No. 1s at least and we have that, that’s cool, with Ali and Simon.
“That’s a very good situation for the club, but a situation I think you should have and that’s why everything is fine from my point of view.”
Goalkeeper Andrew Lonergan, 35, released by Middlesbrough this summer, is set to train with Liverpool during their tour of the United States with the Reds missing four players in the position.
Alisson is on holiday after helping Brazil win the Copa America, while Kamil Grabara is expected to go out on loan with Huddersfield pushing for his services. Caoimhin Kelleher (broken wrist) and Vitezslav Jaros (elbow ligament strain) are sidelined.
Meanwhile, Klopp has said Liverpool will keep their options open regarding left-back cover for Andrew Robertson.
The club are scouting the market for possibilities, while youngsters Yasser Larouci and Adam Lewis have been given the opportunity to impress during preseason.
James Milner and Joe Gomez can also fill in if required.