Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists Caoimhin Kelleher will only leave for Aston Villa or Tottenham Hotspur if the Premier League giants receive an ‘extraordinary offer’.
Life as a back-up goalkeeper is always complicated.
And Caoimhin Kelleher, for all his talents, could soon be celebrating his 25th birthday having not even played five top-flight games in Liverpool colours.
Alisson Becker’s enduring excellence means the Republic of Ireland international has had to be content with another season on the sidelines.
“I don’t mind watching,” Kelleher admitted recently. “But, obviously, I’d rather be playing.”
Tottenham and Aston Villa like Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher
Such a frank admission understandably had some wondering if the Cork-born stopper – who scored the winning penalty against Chelsea in last year’s EFL Cup final triumph – would look for a way out of Anfield, with the Daily Mail suggesting that offers of around £15 million may be considered.
Klopp, however, is playing down suggestions that Liverpool will let one of the Premier League’s most reliable ‘number twos’ depart.
“Caoimh Kelleher? What’s happening with Kelleher? He has a contract,” Klopp explained as Champions League-chasing Liverpool prepare to welcome Aston Villa to Merseyside on Saturday.
“Honestly, I can’t see Caoimh leaving. It must be an extraordinary offer for me to start thinking, I have to say.”
Brentford are keen on Kelleher. But Thomas Frank’s side look set to bring in Freiburg’s Mark Flekken as a replacement for contract-rebel David Raya instead.
“I don’t think it’s the right time to sign a contract,” the £40 million-rated Raya said back in February. “I was offered a new contract last year, and one in January. But we didn’t reach an agreement.
“You never know what’s around the corner. There’s nothing I can say about what’s going to happen in the summer.”
Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur, via Transfer Room and the Irish Independent, are also admirers, with both Emi Martinez and Hugo Lloris facing uncertain summers. Lloris could treble his £100,000-a-week wages in Saudi Arabia with the veteran Frenchman lined up to follow in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo and – potentially – Lionel Messi.
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