‘I’ve made it clear I want to go’, says Liverpool hero as star appears to take swipe at club’s transfer activity
CAOIMHIM KELLER says he has “made it clear” to Liverpool he wants to leave the club.
The Irish keeper, 25, stepped in for the injured No1 Alisson last season and played 26 games in all competitions.
But Alisson returned for the final seven Premier League games of the campaign, before new Reds boss Arne Slot signed Georgian international Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia for £29million in the summer.
Mamardashvili, 23, will not join Liverpool until next summer but is expected to be the long-term replacement for Brazil shot-stopper Alisson.
And Kelleher, who started for Ireland in their 2-0 loss to England on Saturday, insists he feels it is the right time to leave Anfield.
Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: “I’ve made it clear in the last few years that I want to go and be a No1 and play week in, week out.
“The club’s made that decision to get another goalkeeper and from the outside looking in, it looks like they’ve made a decision to go in a different direction.”
Liverpool rejected a £15million bid from Nottingham Forest for Kelleher in the January transfer window.
He has also been linked with a move to Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic.
And Italian giants Juventus were even mooted as a possible destination during the summer.
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None of those ended up materialising, but not for Kelleher’s want of trying.
He added: “Sometimes from the outside looking in, it looks like that’s 100 per cent my decision [to stay] but at times it’s not always in my hands.
“It’s been reported that Liverpool have rejected a few bids as well.
“My ambition is clear that I think I’m good enough and I want to go out and prove it.”
Kelleher made seven saves against England but could do nothing about the goals from Declan Rice and Jack Grealish.
Celtic, Brighton and Forest are among the clubs continuing to be linked with him.