James Milner and Joel Matip will be rewarded by Liverpool with new contracts after Champions League final
Liverpool will reward James Milner and Joel Matip with contract extensions following the Champions League final.Milner has become integral to Liverpool’s revival under Jurgen Klopp and although he has turned 33, and still has a year remaining on his current deal, he will be retained until at least 2021.
Liverpool see their arrangement with Milner similar to how Sir Alex Ferguson rewarded his Manchester United stars when they reached their early to mid-30s, continuously reviewing their deal each season.Despite Milner’s age, he remains one of the fittest in the squad.
Matip, who also joined Liverpool on a Bosman deal, is in the same situation with a year left on his deal. He too will be offered fresh terms having reasserted himself in the second part of this season to flourish alongside Virgil van Dijk.Meanwhile, Liverpool have ended talks with Tottenham Hotspur about the potential use of the north London club’s new stadium for a pre-season friendly.
The plan for Klopp’s side to use the £850 million arena in late July was scrapped due to the clubs meeting in Saturday’s Champions League final. Liverpool considered the stadium an alternative to Anfield but now deem it inappropriate given one of the clubs will be nursing their wounds on Saturday night.
Instead, Liverpool are thinking of using Murrayfield in Edinburgh as host for a warm-up fixture on July 28 ahead of the 2019-20 season. Anfield is unavailable in late July because the pitch is being re-laid after a series of summer pop and rock concerts.
An Edinburgh fixture would follow Liverpool’s summer tour of the United States when they play in Indiana, Boston and New York against Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla and Sporting Lisbon. They will also spend time at a training camp in Evian, France.
Liverpool are already guaranteed one London fixture this summer as they will face champions Manchester City in the Community Shield at Wembley in August. Asking fans to fork out for another trip to the capital was another consideration.
Initially, the request to Spurs to allow Liverpool to use their arena was mutually beneficial. Liverpool want to invite a high-profile European club for a pre-season friendly and Spurs are eager to maximise the usage of their venue.
Spurs have entered a partnership with the NFL to host the Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders on October 6 and Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 13.
Liverpool still intend to arrange another friendly at Anfield before the start of the season.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/05/30/james-milner-joel-matip-will-rewarded-liverpool-new-contracts/
