New deal incoming? ‘Tenacious’ Liverpool gem is ‘expected to agree’ Reds contract extension | OneFootball

One promising youngster at Liverpool is likely to put pen to paper on a new contract in the near future.

On Monday, Lewis Steele reported that James McConnell is ‘close to signing a new long-term deal’ at Anfield and is expected to depart on loan for the upcoming season, and another highly-rated Reds talent could be in line to do likewise.

In the latest instalment of The Athletic‘s Transfer DealSheet, which was published on Tuesday morning, Gregg Evans addressed the question of which players could be on their way out of Merseyside before the end of the summer, either permanently or temporarily.

Stephenson likely to agree new contract at Liverpool

One of those is Luca Stephenson, who is ‘expected to agree a contract extension before moving out on loan again for next season’.

The defensive midfielder has just over 11 months remaining on his current deal, although Liverpool ‘see the value of monitoring the 21-year-old’s progress for at least another campaign’, having impressed during a loan spell at Dundee United last term.

The youngster is part of the 29-player Reds squad which flew out to Hong Kong for the club’s pre-season tour over the past 48 hours.

(Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

Hopefully Stephenson will get a fair chance on Liverpool’s Asian tour

Stephenson got a runout in the win over Stoke on Sunday, firing over the bar with a late chance, and his inclusion on the plane to Asia is an endorsement of how Arne Slot views him.

The 21-year-old will hopefully be given a decent chance to impress against AC Milan and Yokohama F. Marinos in the coming days, although the intense competition for midfield berths (and his tally of zero competitive appearances for Liverpool) means that a loan move for the upcoming campaign seems inevitable.

Reds academy coach Jay Spearing has hailed the youngster as a ‘tenacious’ prospect who enjoyed ‘a fantastic loan’ at Dundee United (Theo Squires), and the club’s hierarchy seemingly share that view with their reported plans to offer him a new contract.

Such is his courage and selflessness that, as revealed by Tangerines manager Jim Goodwin in April, he played through a double hernia for almost four months at Tannadice, an extraordinary testament to his character.

Stephenson will turn 22 in September and needs to be playing regular first-team football at his age. That’s something he’s unlikely to enjoy on Merseyside in the short-term, but should be able to acquire with the right choice of loan for 2025/26.

Hopefully we’ll get to see a good bit of him in the Far East and penning a new deal at Anfield before going elsewhere to enhance his developement and eventually going on to make a long-term impact at Liverpool!