Report: £35m Liverpool player still expected to leave at end of season, but he could get chance soon

By Ben Evans

Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is still expected to leave the club next year.

A report from The Athletic suggests that the 29-year-old’s contract is set to expire and he is likely to leave as a free agent.

However, although Oxlade-Chamberlain isn’t registered for the Champions League, he may be able to prove himself domestically.

The report suggests that Oxlade-Chamberlain is getting closer to being back to full fitness, after missing three months with a hamstring injury.

It’s the latest in a long line of injuries the midfielder has suffered since arriving at Anfield.

Oxlade-Chamberlain started life at Liverpool brightly, and was an important player for Jurgen Klopp during his first season.

However, a serious cruciate knee injury kept him out of action for nearly a year just as his first Liverpool campaign was coming to an end.

He struggled with knocks over the next three seasons, before suffering another serious knee injury in 2020.

Oxlade-Chamberlain managed just nine league starts last season, and hasn’t featured since March.

Oxlade-Chamberlain expected to leave Liverpool

The Athletic report that Oxlade-Chamberlain has been ‘cranking up the intensity of his training’ which is good news for the England international.

His time at Anfield is likely to come to an end this season, with a number of young midfielders already stepping up to fill his role.

He was linked with a move to West Ham in the summer, and may already be sounding out clubs for next season.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is undoubtedly talented, but needs to prove he can play consistently to earn himself a contract elsewhere.

ESPN reported in the summer that Oxlade-Chamberlain was keen to leave in the summer to play more first-team football.

However, the Mirror wrote that Klopp wouldn’t let the midfielder go.

The £35m Oxlade-Chamberlain’s latest injury might have made Liverpool’s mind up on his future.

It will almost certainly be a case of ‘what if’ when the 29-year-old finally leaves Anfield.

Oxlade-Chamberlain may just be offered one last chance to make an impact in the coming weeks when he returns to full fitness.