Liverpool are hopeful Divock Origi will accept the club’s offer of a contract extension after returning to Melwood for pre-season training.
The 24-year-old came close to leaving Anfield last summer, after returning from a mediocre loan spell at Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg, but he ultimately decided to stay and fight for a place in Jurgen Klopp’s squad.
Despite failing to earn regular playing time last season, Origi maximised his time on the pitch and ended up having a huge impact, most notably in the Champions League.
The Belgian became a hero for the Reds after scoring the decisive goal in a 4-0 win over Barcelona in the semi-finals, before then netting the all-important second goal in a 2-0 final victory over Tottenham.
Origi also scored important winning goals in the Premier League against Everton and Newcastle, showing superb instincts in the box while also earning widespread acclaim for his direct style of play.
According to ESPN, Liverpool are set to tie the striker down to a new contract at Anfield, after successful negotiations over the last few weeks.
Klopp has made it clear that Origi will have plenty of chances to shine next season, especially in the opening few matches, given the fact that Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah have had international duties to attend to this summer.
Salah suffered a round of 16 exit with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday, but Senegal are into the quarterfinals and will square off against Benin this Wednesday.
Firmino will likely return to Liverpool around the same time as Salah, after starring for Brazil en route to Copa America glory over the last month.
All three men are likely to be granted extra holiday time before they report for pre-season duty, which means Origi might well lead the line for Klopp by the time the opening day of the new season rolls around.
The Belgium international has already proved himself as capable of filling such a role and he will surely be eager to repay Liverpool’s faith in him by continuing to produce the goods in the big matches next term.
