Liverpool Football Club has confirmed that James Milner, Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will leave the club at the end of the season. The quartet was part of the team that won the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League in 2019-20. Brighton is reportedly closing in on a deal for Milner, who has won six major honours at Liverpool. The club has expressed gratitude and appreciation for the contribution made by the departing players. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has already outlined the club’s intentions to be active in the summer transfer window.
Milner and Firmino joined the club in 2015 and went on to win a historic Premier League title in 2020, as well as the FA Cup last season. Milner has made 330 appearances for the club since signing on a free transfer, making 617 Premier League appearances – the third highest in the league’s history. Firmino, who joined for a fee of about £29m, became the highest-scoring Brazilian striker in Premier League history in 2019 and now has 80 goals in 254 top-flight appearances but has not played since March. Keita, who scored 11 goals in 129 appearances, signed for a club record £48m in 2017 but has made just 12 appearances this season due to injuries. Meanwhile, Oxlade-Chamberlain, signed for £35m, has also struggled for minutes this season, making just 13 appearances.
Liverpool’s announcement confirms that this will be a summer of transition as manager Klopp refreshes a squad that will end the season without silverware after chasing four trophies last term, winning the FA Cup and League Cup. Klopp will focus on midfield as Milner, Keita, and Oxlade-Chamberlain leave, with Chelsea’s Mason Mount and Brighton’s Argentina World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister very much on a list of potential summer targets.
Liverpool fans will be sad to see the quartet leave, but the club is looking to the future and is expected to make significant moves in the transfer market to strengthen the squad. Klopp has a proven track record of building successful teams, and Liverpool fans will be hoping that the summer transfer window will bring in the right players to take the club to the next level.
Keywords: Liverpool, James Milner, Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Premier League, Champions League, summer transfer window, Jurgen Klopp, midfield, Mason Mount, Alexis Mac Allister.