The agent of Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has confirmed his plan to negotiate Mignolet a move away from Anfield this summer, as he wants to play first-team football.
The 31-year-old made just two appearances last season, neither of which came in the Premier League, with expensive signing Alisson dominating the lineup. Despite this, Jurgen Klopp recently reiterated his desire to keep Mignolet as cover for the Brazilian.
However, speaking to La Derniere Heure, Mignolet's agent, Nico Vaesen, insisted that their goal is still for the goalkeeper to leave Liverpool, and he expects the Champions League winners to grant Mignolet an exit this summer.
He said: "The goalkeeper game of musical chairs hasn’t started yet. It's important for Simon to play somewhere, and our goal is still to make him leave.
“He’s still got a lot to offer, and if we have an offer, we’re counting on Liverpool making an effort.”
Mignolet's last Premier League appearance came on 1 January 2018 in a 2-1 win over Burnley, but he soon lost his place to German Loris Karius. Alisson was brought in the following summer for around £67m, and Mignolet has made just two appearances since.
He featured in an FA Cup tie against Wolverhampton Wanderers and a Carabao Cup clash with Chelsea, both of which ended in 2-1 defeats, ending Mignolet's chance of any first-team action.
With Alisson set to continue as Liverpool's primary goalkeeper, Mignolet has been heavily linked with a move away from Anfield this summer. Both Bournemouth and Crystal Palace are believed to be keen, whilst there has also been interest in the goalkeeper from Belgian side Club Brugge.
However, Klopp is eager to keep Mignolet as backup, especially during their goalkeeping crisis this summer. With Alisson on holiday, Kamil Grabara away on loan and Caoimhin Kelleher out injured, Mignolet is the club's only senior goalkeeper for pre-season.
As a result, they opted to invite 35-year-old free agent Andy Lonergan on their pre-season tour, so as to avoid overloading any of their current crop of shot stoppers.
Source : 90min