Oxlade-Chamberlain set to leave Liverpool this summer

Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is set to leave the club when his contract runs out at the end of the season, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The 29-year-old joined Liverpool from Arsenal in the summer of 2017, but injuries have stunted his development at the Merseyside outfit.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has spent most of this season nursing a hamstring problem, which has limited him to just 12 appearances across all competitions while chipping in with one goal. 

After six years at Anfield, the former Southampton prodigy will leave Liverpool as a free agent this summer, with the club prioritising a midfield overhaul in the transfer window. 

The Reds have endured a topsy-turvy campaign plagued by inconsistency which could be attributed to their injury crisis, especially in midfield.

With the likes of Thiago Alcantara and Fabinho frequenting the hospital bed, Jurgen Klopp has sometimes been forced to field the ageing James Milner and Jordan Henderson in the middle of the park.

However, neither have the strength, speed, or stamina needed to enforce Klopp’s famous gegenpressing system leaving the team vulnerable at times.

Liverpool’s injury crisis has seen academy product Stefan Bajcetic plunged into the first-team set up, and the youngster has often stepped up to the plate, barely putting a foot wrong.

However, even the 18-year-old is not immune to the injury voodoo plaguing the club, as he will miss the rest of the season due to a thigh problem.

The need for at least two new midfielders when the summer transfer market opens is not lost on Liverpool, who have already begun shortlisting possible targets.

The English giants hold a long-term interest in Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham, but it remains to be seen if they have the financial power to tempt the Bundesliga giants into doing business.

Liverpool have also been linked with moves for Brighton & Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo, Inter Milan’s Nicolo Barella, and Chelsea academy graduate Mason Mount who is yet to extend his deal at West London.

Meanwhile, Arthur Melo, who joined the Anfield club on a season-long loan in the summer and has yet to debut for the Reds, will return to parent club Juventus at the end of the season.