A Liverpool midfielder has rejected the offer of a new five-year deal and will walk free when his contract expires.
The COVID-19 crisis has thrown up some dilemmas for football clubs, especially regarding contracts, but it seems like Liverpool have decided to use this free time to try and open talks regarding new terms.
These are always difficult times as talks between player and club can drag on and on and on, and in this case they have come to a complete standstill.
That’s always the risk you take in leaving it until the last minute in contract negotiations, and now Liverpool are set to lose the player for nothing.
Pedro Chirivella has decided that he’d prefer to seek regular first team football at another side than put pen to paper to remain at Anfield.
Nobody can blame him really. The Spaniard hasn’t been anywhere close to the Premier League squad and Jurgen Klopp’s side is packed with ability – if Naby Keita or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are struggling for minutes, the youngster isn’t going to stand a chance.
But he did show flashes of quality during his cup appearances to suggest that he could go to another club and become a regular footballer there. Rangers are rumoured to be interested in him and that makes given the link with Steven Gerrard.
Pedro Chirivella is also interesting Nantes in Ligue 1, so there is a clear indication that he is a good player with potential at the top of the game – just not with Liverpool.
This is a player who seems to have got a little bit wiser with age. He previously turned down a permanent move away from Anfield to try and compete for games at Liverpool, but saw how that backfired.
Now we should wish him all the best with the future and hope he can achieve what he set out to achieve.