Joel Matip hints at wanting new Liverpool contract

Liverpool defender Joel Matip has hinted that he would like to sign a new contract and finish his career at Anfield.

The 32-year-old has entered his eighth season on the red side of Merseyside since joining from Schalke 04 in the summer of 2016.

Matip has made a total of 190 appearances for Liverpool across all competitions and has won six trophies including the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and Champions League.

However, Matip now has less than a year remaining on his contract at Anfield and is not considered a first-team regular under manager Jurgen Klopp.

The Cameroon international started just 16 games in all tournaments last season and he was benched for Liverpool's opening two Premier League games of the new campaign before being recalled to the starting lineup to fill in for the suspended Virgil van Dijk and injured Ibrahima Konate.

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Nevertheless, Matip has stated that Liverpool is a club that players "don't just walk away" from and has suggested that he would be open to committing his future to Anfield.

Matip is one of three Liverpool players who will see their current contract expire in June 2024 along with midfielder Thiago Alcantara and backup goalkeeper Adrian.

Speaking in an interview for Sky Deutschland, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo, Matip said: "Of course, Schalke was my youth club – as a Schalke fan it was an absolute honour to play there. I had the opportunity to do that for a long time and here in Liverpool, with these absolute top conditions, you don't just walk away.

"In addition, I also feel incredibly comfortable here in my private life. I think it's desirable not to change clubs all the time. But everyone has to decide for themselves. In any case, I find consistency helpful.

"I'm at an age where I don't think so much about the future anymore. I try to make the most of every day and don't look too far ahead. If it was only these two clubs in the end, I would be perfectly happy. But in football, you never know exactly."

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Discussing Liverpool's bright start to the new campaign, accumulating 13 points from a possible 15 available in the Premier League, Matip added: "We are still at the beginning of the season. Of course, we are glad that the results are right.

"The quality that the new players have brought directly into the team is impressive. Now we are trying to work together to ensure that we can be successful in the long run.

"There is always a lot of investment in the Premier League – so you can't make any predictions. But we also have enormous quality and give everything in every game.

"You never know what the end result will be. For now, we're just looking at ourselves and trying to win every game. If this succeeds often, the season should have a successful ending."

Matip will battle with Van Dijk, Konate, Joe Gomez and youngster Jarell Quansah for a start at centre-back in Thursday's Europa League group-stage opener away against Austrian side LASK Linz.