LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana will leave the club at the end of the season after six years.
Lallana has agreed to a short-term extension to his contract, allowing him to complete the rest of the pandemic-affected season.
“I know how highly sought after Adam is in this moment by other clubs who want him for next season,” Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp said on Tuesday, “so for him this is a commitment to us and we are very appreciative to him for it.”
Lallana, who joined from Southampton in 2014 and has made 178 appearances for Liverpool, is among the dozens of English Premier League players whose contracts are due to expire at the end of June.
Liverpool leads the league by 25 points heading into next week’s resumption and needs two more wins to clinch a first championship title since 1990.
“He wants to be here to finish the job and do it properly,” Klopp said, “but it says everything about him that his biggest concern was blocking the progress and opportunity of a player who is under contract for next season also.
“But his role is too important to lose him before this season is done.”
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