Loris Karius has said he is happy and prepared to see out the remainder of his loan deal with Besiktas, amid speculation that he could return to Liverpool early this summer.
The German goalkeeper was the Reds' first choice for much of the 2017/18 season, but after some high-profile errors and the £67m arrival of Alisson from Roma, he found himself firmly out of favour, and his move to Turkey was soon announced.
The agreement in place was for a two-year stay in Istanbul for 25-year-old Karius, but after his indifferent form carried over from the Premier League to the Super Lig - with Besiktas manager Senol Gunes openly stating his dissatisfaction with the keeper back in March - some speculation arose that his loan spell short could be cut short early.
This was backed up by reports that the German wanted out of the Turkish capital, but the keeper has said that he is prepared to stay put for next season after Besiktas lost out to Trabzonspor in their penultimate Super Lig fixture.
“This is a team game. I must not forget this," he said, as quoted by talkSPORT. "I am disappointed.
“Maybe we could have got a point. We have another game and a game to win.
“Then we will continue our preparations. I think that if all parties are happy and satisfied, I will continue. My contract with Besiktas continues.”
While it would take a cataclysmic development to unseat Alisson from his position as first-choice goalkeeper - after winning the Golden Glove with 21 clean sheets in his first Premier League season - it doesn't seem outwith the realms of possibility that there would be a place for Karius as his understudy, with Simon Mignolet looking set to leave in pursuit of first-team football.
Alisson stopped 79% of the shots he faced. That's the best record of all Premier League goalkeepers this season.
— Artur Petrosyan (@arturpetrosyan) May 14, 2019
Last season, it was 59% for Mignolet and 56% for Karius.
It seems for now, however, that he will fight to win over the Besiktas faithful in 2019/20, and re-evaluate his Liverpool career beyond that.
Source : 90min