Klopp Confirms Star Midfielder Will Leave Liverpool Season End, Lauds Him For Putting ‘Club First’

Adam Lallana, whose Liverpool contract is due to expire June 30, has agreed to sign a short-term extension until the end of this season.

The attacking midfielder's six-year-old association with the Merseyside club is set to end this summer. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has hailed Lallana, saying he has always “put the club first”.

Premier League’s ongoing 2019-20 season was suspended in March due to the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic. The campaign is set to restart, after a 100-day break, on June 17 and an overjoyed Klopp, courtesy of Lallana’s extension, said “we can delay our messages of gratitude and good luck until the end of July now.”

“I know how highly sought after Adam is in this moment by other clubs who want him for next season, so for him, this is a commitment to us and we are very appreciative of him for it. This is absolutely how it should be, too, because I am so pleased he will be with us to finish the job this season and have the farewell he deserves so much. ... It is not possible for me to find words in the English language to properly explain the importance of Adam Lallana during my period of being the manager of this club,” Klopp told Liverpool FC’s official website in an interview.

Lallana’s decision to finish the job at Liverpool before moving away from the club has shown he is not only a great professional but also a “better person”, according to the German boss.

“What I can say – and want to say – now is even the way he has handled this extension tells you all you need to know about the person and his character. A top-class professional and an even better person", added Klopp.

Lallana, who moved from Southampton to Liverpool for a transfer fee of $31m in 2014, was signed by then-manager, Brendan Rodgers. According to the latest reports, Rodgers has been linked with signing the midfielder again, this time at Leicester City.

“Adam always puts the club first – always! In the conversations we have had, he has been the first to express that my priority as a manager needs to be the players who are at this club for longer than just the rest of this season. But his role is too important to lose him before this season is done. So, it’s fantastic we can delay our messages of gratitude and good luck until the end of July now,” Klopp signed off.