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Beth Lindop
Multiple Authors
Arne Slot has refused to be drawn on the future of Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker amid growing speculation over a potential summer departure.
Liverpool have activated the one-year option in Alisson’s contract, keeping him at Anfield until June 2027. However, the Brazil international — who has been sidelined for more than a month with a muscle problem — has been linked with a summer move to Juventus.
“I am only focused on the short-term future and that is getting him back into goal as soon as possible,” Slot said in a news conference ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Crystal Palace.
“The answer is going to be that all these rumours that are out there about him and about probably me and about others, we don’t react to rumours in this room, also not in my conversations with [sporting director] Richard [Hughes].
“We only react when facts need to be told and that is not the situation at the moment. The main focus for Ali is very clear, that is getting back in goal as soon as possible for the club he loves to play for and then he wants to be in goal for the country he wants to play for, that is Brazil. I think that is already the short and mid-term future.”
Alisson faces a race against time to be fit for the visit of Palace on Saturday, with Freddie Woodman likely to deputise after Giorgi Mamardashvili also picked up an injury in Liverpool’s win over Everton last weekend.
Slot’s side will also be without striker Hugo Ekitike, who is facing a long spell on the sidelines following surgery on an Achilles injury.
“The surgery went well,” Slot said. “That is the first and important step he had to make. In such a long rehab process, there are so many crucial steps to be made before you can say it is going to take that amount of months or that amount of months.
“It is going to take a long time, everyone can not really call the surgeon and ask him how long it is going to take, they will tell you multiple months.
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“Then it all depends on how rehab goes. He is a very explosive player, that is usually not helpful if you have this injury but maybe he is the exception to this.
“We don’t know yet but the first and most important step is that surgery went well and he can now work on his recovery, which is going to take a long time.
“But he will be back stronger, as all the others who have been injured for such a long time. Giovanni Leoni, I don’t know if you want to know but I have seen some Instagram posts from the club — this guy becomes a beast.”
