Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher has been open about his ambition to play first-team football, a move even endorsed by former Reds manager Jurgen Klopp.
The 25-year-old Republic of Ireland international is highly regarded at Anfield and has shown his worth when stepping in for Alisson, including this season where he has kept four clean sheets in eight games. However, dislodging the Brazilian permanently seems unlikely.
Kelleher, however, isn’t short of suitors who would offer him regular football elsewhere. He’s prepared to leave Anfield for good after Liverpool secured a deal for Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili to join next summer, according to the Mirror.
Chelsea have recently been linked to the Irishman, with The Sun reporting that Liverpool’s Premier League rivals are willing to pay £35million for his services. However, football.london understands the Blues are not currently working on a deal.
A move to a top-six club would certainly appeal to Kelleher, who would prefer to stay in the Premier League. Whether Liverpool would sell to a rival remains to be seen.
New head coach Arne Slot has somewhat revealed his plans by signing Mamardashvili as Alisson’s long-term successor, but Kelleher also found game time limited under Klopp.
While Klopp didn’t hesitate to bring Kelleher into the fold whenever Alisson was unavailable, he made it clear that the latter was his first choice. However, he never explicitly stated that he would approve Kelleher’s departure.
Jurgen Klopp, it seems, had a rethink in his approach regarding Kelleher’s prospects at Liverpool, particularly notable through remarks Kelleher shared from earlier this year.
Klopp had words of encouragement for him, with Kelleher recounting: “He had some nice words for me. I was with him for a number of years and he said, ‘You became a brilliant goalkeeper in that time.’ He is going to follow my career wherever I go. He wants to see me playing and to be happy.”
Reflecting on his own ambitions, Kelleher added: “The season I’ve had, I’ve played a lot of games and had that taste this season of being a No.1. Whether that’s at Liverpool or elsewhere, that remains to be seen. My main focus at the moment is to be No.1.”
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