According to the latest reports, European champions Liverpool are in the process of negotiating a new deal for Cameroonian center-back Joel Matip following his impressive form in the early part of the new season.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool is currently sitting pretty at the summit of the Premier League as they are the only team that has won three out of the three fixtures so far. The German boss has built an extremely solid team and foundation which could challenge Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City all the way for the Premier League title once again this term.
Although the big names like Salah, Alisson, Van Dijk, Mane, and Firmino get most of the credit, there are a few players in the Liverpool starting eleven that are proving their weight in gold for Klopp. Most recently, Joel Matip has been a key element for Liverpool partnering Dutch defender Virgil Van Dijk in the heart of the Reds’ defense.
Matip was integral to the Liverpool team that won the Champions League title last season and scored Liverpool’s first goal of the new season in the FA Community Shield against Manchester City. The big defender has also put in some great performances in the backline and his goal against Arsenal was also crucial for the Reds as it laid the platform for Liverpool to go on and get all three points.
However, the 28-year-old is in his final year at Anfield since arriving at the club back in 2016 from Bundesliga club Schalke. England star Joe Gomez is likely to be the long term partner for Liverpool alongside Van Dijk but the 22-year-old may have competition from Matip if Liverpool decides to hand him a contract extension.
Recent reports claim that the Merseyside giants are thoroughly impressed with Matip and want to tie him down at the club for longer if he can put in strong displays as he has done at the start of the season.
