Harvey Elliott to remain with Liverpool as Xherdan Shaqiri replacement
By Tom Gott
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is ready to keep young winger Harvey Elliott at the club as a replacement for the wantaway Xherdan Shaqiri.
Shaqiri has publicly confessed his desire to leave Liverpool this summer after spending three seasons as a backup, with Lazio tipped to offer the 29-year-old an escape route in the coming weeks.
Liverpool are prepared to offload Shaqiri and their other fringe forwards, Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino, and according to The Athletic, that is because Klopp believes Elliott is ready for a spot in the first team.
The 18-year-old has returned from an excellent loan spell with Blackburn Rovers which yielded seven goals and 11 assists in 41 Championship appearances.
Klopp was hugely impressed with Elliott and believes he is good enough for a backup role at Anfield next season, with a view to a starting role somewhere down the line as Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane all approach their 30th birthdays.
Despite the prospect of coming into some money by selling Shaqiri, Origi and Minamino, Liverpool may decline to sign replacements. According to The Independent, there are currently no plans to sign any more players following the £36m deal to sign Ibrahima Konate.
Instead, it's Elliott who will be promoted to the first team, and he could be joined by 16-year-old Kaide Gordon, who joined from Derby earlier this year and has earned himself plenty of fans since arriving at Anfield.
Gordon has impressed staff and senior players alike during pre-season, and while he is set to remain with the academy, it is suggested that he could be given a handful of chances in the first team next season when required.
The same goes for French defender Billy Koumetio, Polish forward Mateusz Musialowski and German midfielder Melkamu Frauendorf, all of whom have impressed over the past 12 months and are seen as reliable cover for the first team.