Report: Two first-team Liverpool players likely leaving after this season, a third could join them

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Two first-team Liverpool players are likely leaving after this season, according to reports. A third could even join them.

This comes from the Athletic. While explaining Liverpool’s thoughts on their midfield, the outlet claims that both James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are likely to leave in 2023.

Both players will be out of contract, after all. It seems unlikely that either will get extensions – and they might not be the only midfielders to go.

Naby Keita’s deal expires in 2023, too, and while there’s been talk of a new one, nothing has yet happened. The closer we get to January, the more likely it is that he at least listens to offers from elsewhere.

Liverpool players leaving after this season

We still think Keita will get a new contract but it’s certainly not guaranteed. It’s very possibly that he wants a hefty wage – one that Liverpool can’t justify that other teams can. He’s not a regular starting player at Anfield, while he would be nearly everywhere else.

Still, we think Liverpool will work hard to strike a new deal.

Milner is an interesting case, too. He’ll be 37 next summer but there’s still value in having him around. It’ll entirely depend on how he’s feeling and whether he wants to continue in his current role at Liverpool. His career can’t go on forever, even if it sometimes feels that way.

Oxlade-Chamberlain, though, seems like an almost certain departure. His injury issues over the years make negotiating a new deal very difficult as he simply doesn’t play regularly for Liverpool. It would be one thing if he was clearly one of the best midfielders at the club but that isn’t the case.

Other teams could value him in that way and we expect he’ll see what offers arrive in 2023. His latest injury surely ends any chances of an offer from Liverpool, however.