James Milner is set to leave Liverpool as a free agent to join Brighton this summer after eight years on Merseyside.
The Reds signed Milner from Manchester City in the summer of 2015 and the versatile veteran has gone on to become one of the most successful free transfers in modern memory having helped the club to every top-level trophy since 2019.
The vice-captain signed a one-year contract extension last year after agreeing to a significant pay cut and while Jurgen Klopp had been keen to keep the 37-year-old at Anfield beyond the end of the current campaign, it is understood that no offer was placed on the table by the club.
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Klopp indicated earlier in the season that Liverpool should look to keep Milner around beyond his playing days, saying: "I am pretty sure the club should use his character and mindset and it was really special. We have different plans for Milly, but Milly wants to keep playing."
However, Milner is now on the brink of moving to the south coast to provide an upwardly-mobile Brighton side with bags of experience that he has amassed across a career that has spanned over 20 years at the elite level.
It's been reported that Liverpool recently asked Milner to reconsider his decision to leave this summer but the deal with the Seagulls is on the cusp of completion.
The news means Liverpool will be losing another mainstay of the Klopp era and one of only a handful of players who preceded the manager's October 2015 arrival. The former Leeds United, Aston Villa and Newcastle star joins Roberto Firmino on the list of departures this summer with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and goalkeeper Adrian also expected to exit.
Milner is keen to prolong his playing days for as long as possible and will move to a Brighton side who could yet be playing in Europe next season given the strides made under impressive Italian manager Roberto de Zerbi this term.
"When you get older it takes you a tiny bit longer to recover from games but in terms of actual fitness and the running I feel good," Milner recently said. "Yes, my role has changed. My role at Liverpool now is what's needed.
"Can I be ready? I need to always be ready, wherever the manager wants me to play - if there's injuries, if it needs a specific job in a game, I think my role has probably been there for a while and the team always comes first. Whatever's needed I'll do. That's my role now and it's an important one. I'd like to think I've got more games in me, but we'll see."
Milner's substitute appearance in Wednesday night's 1-0 win over Fulham was his 328th for the Reds in a spell that has seen him lift the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Club World Cup and the Community Shield.
With Oxlade-Chamberlain, Keita and Arthur Melo also slated to leave, the Reds will need to add numbers to their midfield ranks this summer and the loss of Milner will be keenly felt behind the scenes given his status and influence within the playing squad.
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