Liverpool have confirmed that Roberto Firmino, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keïta will be leaving the club when their contracts expire this summer.
The departure of the quartet was expected, and already confirmed in the case of Firmino, the only one of the four to be offered a contract extension. Nevertheless, Liverpool’s announcement marks the end of a glittering era with the Brazil international and Milner, and the beginning of their midfield overhaul.
Liverpool said “special acknowledgements will be paid to the quartet at Anfield” on Saturday, when the club play Aston Villa in their final home game. “All four players will depart with our gratitude and appreciation for the contribution they have made,” a statement said.
Firmino decided not to sign an extension after eight hugely successful seasons at Anfield that made him one of the most influential, and popular, players of the Jürgen Klopp era. The forward was serenaded throughout the closing stages of Monday’s 3-0 win at Leicester despite not featuring due to injury. The 31-year-old should be available for an emotional farewell to Anfield against Aston Villa on Saturday, having resumed full training on Wednesday. He has missed Liverpool’s past six matches with a muscle problem.
Klopp had also wanted to keep Milner, another influential figure on and off the pitch during eight years at Liverpool, but the 37-year-old was not offered a new deal after amicable discussions between all parties. The veteran midfielder, third on the all-time Premier League appearance list, is expected to join Brighton.
The exits of Keïta and Oxlade-Chamberlain will come as no surprise after injury-plagued Liverpool careers. Keïta was a club record £52.75m signing from RB Leipzig in 2018 but has started only 49 Premier League games. Oxlade-Chamberlain made a fine start after his £35m move from Arsenal in August 2017 but sustained a career-threatening knee injury in that season’s Champions League semi-final against Roma that limited his impact thereafter.
