Report: Out-of-favour Liverpool goalkeeper refused summer exit because of potential pay cut

Transfer News: Loris Karius refused Liverpool exit despite offer from Basel

According to The Athletic (Subscription Required) [h/t Daily Star], Loris Karius had an offer on the table from FC Basel, but the keeper chose to stay at Liverpool.

The Reds have a long list of goalkeepers in their first team. Alisson Becker is the club’s undisputed number one, while Caoimhin Kelleher and Adrian San Miguel play backup to the Brazilian international.

Karius is perhaps fourth in that pecking order, and it has been that way for quite some time now. The former Mainz goalkeeper was once Jurgen Klopp’s preferred option between the sticks and even started the 2018 UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid before falling down the pecking order.

And now, the report states that Karius had the option to leave the club on a permanent basis. However, the goalkeeper did not want to take a large pay cut and chose to stay at Anfield despite the offer from the Swiss giants.

Karius set to stay

There was also a loan offer for the 28-year-old German but nothing materialized due to Karius’ desire to not take too large a pay cut from what he is being paid at Anfield. In all fairness, the goalkeeper is well within his rights to stay on his current contract at Liverpool.

The Reds could have benefitted from Karius’ sale, especially if it was a permanent exit. The goalkeeper hasn’t been a regular for Liverpool since that fateful night in the 2018 UEFA Champions League final against Los Galacticos.

The club has found a dependable option in former AS Roma stopper, Alisson Becker, and they haven’t looked back since. Adrian was brought in from West Ham United and made a name for himself in the UEFA Super Cup final.

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But Kelleher, the 22-year-old Irishman, has made considerable progress and could well be the club’s number two goalkeeper this season. As for Karius, there doesn’t seem a way back and an exit looms large as he enters into the final 12 months of contract at Liverpool.