Well-respected journalist James Pearce believes that Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius will leave the club on a permanent basis in the summer.
What’s the word?
The German shot-stopper, who moved to Liverpool from the Bundesliga outfit Mainz in 2016, has spent the last two seasons on loan at Besiktas after a disastrous time at Anfield.
Karius is known for his sloppy errors while bearing the Liverbird on his chest, most notably during the Reds’ Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in 2018 where he was at fault for two of the Galactico goals.
Speaking on The Athletic’s Red Agenda Podcast, James Pearce discussed why he thinks time up for Karius at Anfield.
Should Loris Karius leave Liverpool this summer?
Yes
No
“[Loris] Karius will [leave]”, he said rather conclusively. I think Liverpool are very keen to find a new home for him.
“There’s no way back at Liverpool for him that I can see. I think there was some interest recently from Montpellier. Liverpool are still hoping to get five or six million for him.
“Of course, they did feel at one point that he would be joining Besiktas permanently, but that fell through.”
Pearce also added that Jurgen Klopp’s side are looking for a fee of around £5m-£6m to take him off their hands.
End of the road
It is difficult to see how Karius will fit into the Liverpool setup going forward after the stunning success that Alisson Becker has had, and Adrian’s contributions as the second-choice keeper on Merseyside.
According to TransferMarkt, Karius has a market value of £2.88m. So for the club to get in excess of £6m for him would be good business by Liverpool.
Karius’ record for Klopp’s team is not bad by any means, having kept 22 clean sheets from 49 appearances in all competitions, helping the team substantially to reach the Champions League final in Kiev, making 13 appearances that season in the competition. But there is no getting away that he has been greatly helped by the men in front of him.
With his contract set to expire in 2022, now would be a good time for the Reds to part ways with the 27-year-old, who still has a long playing career ahead of him.