Liverpool are ready to hand young right-back Neco Williams a new long-term contract as a reward for breaking through into the first team this season.
After making his debut in the Carabao Cup towards the end of 2019, the 19-year-old was a regular part of Jürgen Klopp's squad after the Premier League's restart, and he ended the season with 11 appearances and eight starts in all competitions.
He has entered the final year of his current contract, but as noted by Goal, Liverpool have no intention of letting Williams go and they are ready to hand the teenager a new five-year contract as a reward for his impressive development.
Klopp now sees Williams as a fully-fledged member of the first team and is expected to keep him around as cover for Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The contract renewal will come as the perfect end to an unbelievable season for Williams. His debut brought about an assist for a last-minute equaliser which allowed Liverpool to go on and win on penalties, and that form earned him a spot in the Club World Cup squad.
While Williams didn't make an appearance during the competition, it was the involvement in the first team which mattered most. He was expected to make his Premier League debut soon after, only for the coronavirus outbreak to put a stop to that.
He was finally given the nod in June's 4-0 win over Crystal Palace, coming on as a late replacement for Alexander-Arnold, and his first start in the competition came as a left-back in a 3-1 win over Brighton soon after.
He is expected to take up a permanent spot in the first team squad alongside left-back Kostas Tsimikas, who is closing in on a £11.75m move to Anfield to offer cover for Scotland international Andy Robertson.
Liverpool turned down the chance to sign Norwich City's Jamal Lewis, who was valued at £20m by the Canaries. Klopp saw a £10m bid turned down and soon decided to turn his attention to Tsimikas.
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Source : 90min