Goalkeeper has struggled with injuries and missed the last month with a muscle problem
Arne Slot has declined to comment on speculation surrounding the future of Alisson Becker, insisting his focus is on the goalkeeper’s return from injury.
Liverpool recently activated a one-year extension in Alisson’s contract, keeping him at the club until June 2027. Despite that, the Brazil international has been linked with a possible summer move to Juventus.
Speaking ahead of Liverpool’s match against Crystal Palace, Slot said: “I am only focused on the short-term future and that is getting him back into goal as soon as possible.
“The answer is going to be that all these rumours that are out there about him and about probably me and about others, we don’t react to rumours in this room, also not in my conversations with Richard [Hughes].
“We only react when facts need to be told and that is not the situation at the moment. The main focus for Ali is very clear, that is getting back in goal as soon as possible for the club he loves to play for and then he wants to be in goal for the country he wants to play for, that is Brazil. I think that is already the short and mid-term future.”
Alisson has been out for more than a month with a muscle injury and is a doubt for the weekend fixture. Freddie Woodman is expected to step in, with Giorgi Mamardashvili also sidelined after picking up an injury in last weekend’s win over Everton.
Liverpool will also be without Hugo Ekitike, who was ruled out of season and the World Cup with France with an Achilles injury. He has now had surgery.
“The surgery went well,” Slot said. “That is the first and important step he had to make. In such a long rehab process, there are so many crucial steps to be made before you can say it is going to take that amount of months or that amount of months.
“It is going to take a long time. Everyone can not really call the surgeon and ask him how long it is going to take, they will tell you multiple months.
“Then it all depends on how rehab goes. He is a very explosive player, that is usually not helpful if you have this injury but maybe he is the exception to this.
“We don’t know yet but the first and most important step is that surgery went well and he can now work on his recovery, which is going to take a long time.
“But he will be back stronger, as all the others who have been injured for such a long time.”
