Surprise suitor emerges for Liverpool hero who Van Dijk called a ‘fantastic human being’ – report | OneFootball

One Liverpool player who’s been tipped to leave the club in the next few months has seemingly had a surprise suitor emerge for him.

Caoimhin Kelleher enjoyed a prolonged run in the Reds’ starting XI during Alisson Becker’s injury absence this season, but with the latter now back fit, the Irishman has swiftly found himself bumped down to number two in Arne Slot’s pecking order.

The 26-year-old could move on from Anfield in 2025 if he’s unable to dislodge the current number 1, particularly with Giorgi Mamardashvili arriving from Valencia and the Cork native proving his worth in the Premier League and Champions League over the past couple of months.

Leeds plotting audacious Kelleher swoop

According to TEAMtalk, Leeds are plotting an audacious swoop for Kelleher as they seek prospective replacements for Illan Meslier, who’s expected to leave Elland Road in the near future.

However, the Whites’ only hope of signing the Liverpool goalkeeper would be if they gain promotion from the Championship this season, and even then there’s a ‘major doubt’ as to whether the Republic of Ireland would want to join the Yorkshire outfit.

Sources indicate that ‘solid Champions League sides’ would be ‘very keen to do a deal’ for the Reds’ number 62 if he were to be made available for transfer next year, even though Anfield chiefs would like to tie him down to a contract extension with just 18 months remaining on his current deal.

(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Kelleher highly unlikely to leave Liverpool for Leeds

With all due respect to Leeds, who boast a proud history and are going well under Daniel Farke, we can’t envisage Kelleher signing for them any time soon.

Even if the Whites win promotion this term, there’s a strong chance that they’d find themselves battling relegation from the Premier League in 2025/26, and the Liverpool goalkeeper has proven that he’s better than that level.

The 26-year-old has excelled for a team who lead the way in the English top flight and the Champions League, and if he were to depart Anfield next year, it’d ideally be for a club either competing in Europe already or pushing for European qualification.

We can see why the Reds would love to retain Kelleher, who Virgil van Dijk has called a ‘fantastic human being’ and ‘amazing goalkeeper’ (Off The Ball), but it’d be most understandable if were no longer willing to bide his time behind Alisson.

Leeds might find the right netminder to replace Meslier in the months ahead, but we suspect that the Liverpool hero would be out of their league (literally, if the Whites aren’t promoted).