Alisson Becker has revealed his agent is in talks with Liverpool over his future, with the goalkeeper keen to extend his contract at Anfield. The 34-year-old will be a free agent in the summer after the club triggered a one-year extension in his terms last season amid transfer interest from Serie A giants Juventus.
Liverpool have been proactive about recruiting a successor over the last two summer transfer windows, spending a combined fee of around £60m on Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia and teenager Lucca Brughmans, who has remained on loan with Belgian club Genk for the season.
Alisson's Desire to Stay
Reds head coach Andoni Iraola explained on Friday that he hoped to keep the long-serving Alisson at the club beyond the expiration of his present deal. The former Roma star admits he is seeking a resolution that would see him stay beyond the end of the current campaign.
“Yes, in my mind (I want to say)," Alisson said, speaking after Sunday's 3-1 win over Crystal Palace. "I’m focused on playing every game but in my mind I’m happy to stay. You know, that depends on a lot of aspects and different situations. But my will is to stay. I’m happy here, my family is happy here.
"I’m still hungry for titles and for delivering good performances. I still want to play at the top level for as long as I can. So that’s my thinking on that. My agent is talking with the club."
Performance Against Crystal Palace
Alisson shone in the victory at Selhurst Park, making three outstanding saves to deny Daichi Kamada, Adam Wharton and Yeremy Pino. Asked for an analysis on his own display, the Brazil international added: “Really good. I’m pleased to help the team with the points.
"The first half, they started really well. When we conceded the first chance and they hit the post, they started to get confident. We started to give away a few chances and a few spaces that we shouldn’t. They used the spaces and created chances. That’s part of my job. I’m there to do that. I’m happy that today I could contribute to the three points."
Alisson was one of just a handful of players who didn't leave Selhurst Park for international duty, with the shot-stopper overlooked by Carlo Ancelotti for the Selecao's upcoming fixtures with Japan and Singapore.
International Break and Team Perspective
At the age of 34, Alisson admits that while he would rather be turning out for Brazil, there is an opportunity to use the international break wisely ahead of a critically important period at Anfield before the end of the calendar year.
“It is beneficial (to have a break), for sure," added the two-time Premier League winner. "You have to use it right because you have a lot of time so if you don’t train, if you don’t prepare, time goes really quick and you need to stay sharp.
"It’s not that I will sit on the couch for a week and then come back training. I still have to work hard but in my mind I can use the time to relax and be more with my family. It’s a little bit against my will. What I always want is to be with the national team but I understand this is what I have at the moment and I will use this time and take the benefit from the rest."
Liverpool bounced back from successive defeats to Arsenal and Fenerbahce in the Champions League with their triumph over Palace. The goalkeeper says some perspective is needed after 10 league fixtures under new boss Iraola.
“I think you have to manage all of the situations," he says. "When you are doing well, you need to control a little bit the excitement so you don’t get overexcited. Our reality is that we’re not doing as well as we can. It doesn’t mean that we are not doing well - we are doing well in so many games - but the consistency is not there yet.
"The moment for us is to control the frustration that the defeats bring and stay with a clear mind and looking for the quality in our team. We have a top manager, top players. We are capable of great things but as a team we need to get to a point where we feel: ‘We are okay now. We have the confidence. We have everything that’s needed to win’. We are building that.
"I hope we get there really quick but it takes time. We have to be patient but we players, in our mind, we don’t have time to waste. We want to win, we want to be Premier League champions, Champions League champions, League Cup champions, FA Cup champions. We want to win everything with this club because this is special and it’s what we’re here for.
"It was a really good way to bounce back (against Palace). It was a really good game to play in, it became really physical. Long balls, second balls, sometimes marking them man-to-man all over the pitch so it demanded a lot from us. We did really well in some situations and that allowed us to create chances, score goals and have a really good win away from home."
