Adrian, Thiago and Joel Matip playing for Liverpool.
Liverpool have seen a few big-name players leave for nothing recently – and there could be more to come next summer.
James Milner, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Roberto Firmino all left on free transfers at the end of the 2022/23 season.
The Reds have since handed out new contracts to Ben Doak and Kostas Tsimikas and are also in talks with Trent Alexander-Arnold.
But we’ve taken a look at the three Liverpool players who currently have less than a year left on their contracts. Note: We’ve not included any academy graduates who are yet to make a first-team appearance for the Reds.
Adrian
Adrian joined Liverpool on a free transfer in the summer of 2019 and replaced Simon Mignolet as Alisson Becker’s understudy.
The goalkeeper 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.
He’s fallen out of favour in recent seasons and has been usurped by Caomhin Kelleher, who is now Jurgen Klopp’s second-choice goalkeeper.
The 36-year-old looked set to leave on a free transfer at the end of the 2022/23 season but ultimately signed a new one-year contract, extending his stay at Anfield into a fifth season.
“In life as well, sometimes you have different work and you have to change your role,” he told Liverpool’s official website.
“In a football career, you start doing a role like when you are younger, you are supporting, learning more stuff. Obviously, there are many games, many competitions. The club needs competitive players on the pitch, and players ready to go – and I’m one of them.
“From the beginning, I tried to support in the dressing room, show obviously the level when I can and show my experience with the youngsters, try to speak with them in training or when we are travelling.
“At the end of the day, I’m always learning. I’m 36 now but I’m still learning. I’m feeling fresh and ready as always. I’m looking forward to working with the same group again with John [Achterberg], Jack [Robinson] and Taffa [Claudio Taffarel]. We have a great group of goalies and we support each other.”
But he’s yet to make a first-team appearance in 2023/24 and has also been left out of Liverpool’s Europa League squad.
Throwback to the decisive moment from last season's UEFA Super Cup…
Adrian was Liverpool's hero on his debut for the club!
And then there's Jürgen Klopp's reaction 🤣pic.twitter.com/TWnaNHOMeE
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 23, 2020
Joel Matip
One of the first signings of the Klopp era, Matip joined Liverpool on a free transfer in 2016 after deciding to leave Schalke.
He played a vital role in Liverpool’s run to Champions League glory in 2018/19, setting up Divock Origi for the second goal in the final.
The centre-back, who is closing in on his 200th appearance for the Reds, has also become a cult hero at Anfield due to his hilarious antics.
But he’s struggled with injury problems in recent seasons and is currently behind Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez in the pecking order.
According to Football Insider, Klopp is still keen to keep the experienced defender within the squad and a new deal will be offered to Matip if he is willing to settle for a back-up role.
The 32-year-old can reach a pre-agreement with foreign clubs from January, but he has hinted at a desire to stay at Liverpool for the rest of his career.
“Of course, Schalke was my youth club – as a Schalke fan it was an absolute honour to play there,” he told Sky Deutschland. “I had the opportunity to do that for a long time and here in Liverpool, with these absolute top conditions, you don’t just walk away.
“In addition, I also feel incredibly comfortable here in my private life. I think it’s desirable not to change clubs all the time. But everyone has to decide for themselves. In any case, I find consistency helpful.
“I’m at an age where I don’t think so much about the future anymore. I try to make the most of every day and don’t look too far ahead. If it was only these two clubs in the end, I would be perfectly happy. But in football, you never know exactly.”
Thiago
Having won the treble with Bayern Munich in 2019/20, expectations were high when Thiago completed a £25million move to Liverpool.
The midfielder has shown glimpses of his immense quality but his Liverpool career has been hampered by a number of injury problems.
He started just 14 Premier League games in the 2022/23 season and is yet to feature this term as he continues his return from a hip injury.
The Reds have recently revamped their midfield, signing Wataru Endo, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister.
They sold Fabinho and Jordan Henderson and were reportedly willing to offload Thiago, who earns £200,000-a-week and is the third-highest-paid player at Anfield.
The Spain international attracted interest from clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia during the summer transfer window, but he decided to remain on Merseyside.
“He’s now training,” Klopp said in August when asked about Thiago. “He came in and asked about his role and we spoke.
“[He’s a] super-experienced player. He stepped up in that department. He has only been in team training for a week but very vocal. He is going to be very helpful for us.”
According to Football Insider, Liverpool have opened talks with the player’s agent over a possible contract extension at Anfield.
But the Reds are reportedly keen to see an improvement in his availability and appearance record before making an offer to the 32-year-old.