Liverpool ‘close to’ agreeing long-term contract for player who Klopp dubbed a ‘joy to watch’
Liverpool are reportedly closing in on trying down one highly-rated midfielder to a new long-term contract.
A 29-player Reds squad has jetted off to Hong Kong to begin their pre-season tour of the Far East, although there were some notable omissions from the travelling party, with Federico Chiesa, Calvin Ramsay, Rhys Williams and Stefan Bajcetic not flying out to Asia.
Another man who hasn’t made the trip is James McConnell, but if there were any doubts over his future at Anfield, one reliable reporter on all things LFC has swiftly put those to rest.
Liverpool closing in on new contract for McConnell
Lewis Steele took to X on Monday morning to reveal that the 20-year-old is on the cusp of agreeing a long-term contract extension at Liverpool and is expected to depart on loan for the upcoming campaign, with interest from the EFL Championship and Germany.
The journalist posted: ‘Liverpool youngster James McConnell close to signing a new long-term deal and is likely to head out on loan for the season. Misses Asia tour due to minor injury, decided flight/jetlag could exacerbate. Ipswich, West Brom, Derby plus German clubs keen. #LFC rate him highly.’
McConnell could still get pre-season opportunities for Liverpool
The young midfielder will be disappointed not to have made the trip to the Far East, as he’ll surely have been aspiring to get as much game-time as possible in pre-season in order to make an impression on Arne Slot, but it seems that he needn’t worry about having the faith of the Anfield hierarchy.
Hopefully the 20-year-old will be ready to feature once Liverpool return from Asia at the end of July, and the double-header friendly against Athletic Bilbao two weeks from today should provide the perfect opportunity for him to show what he can do.
McConnell stood out during the Reds’ pre-season a couple of years ago, with Jurgen Klopp labelling him ‘a joy to watch‘ after one performance against Leicester, although his 13 senior appearances for us so far have been mostly confined to domestic cup competitions (Transfermarkt).
He’ll turn 21 in April and will no doubt be eager to finally get a campaign of regular first-team football under his belt, something he may struggle to manage on Merseyside given the quality and range of midfield options available to Slot.
However, the right loan move could give the youngster the push that he needs in order to establish himself at Liverpool, just like it did for Harvey Elliott and Conor Bradley in recent years, and the seemingly imminent contract extension illustrates that he’s very much viewed as part of the future at Anfield.
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