Jurgen Klopp remains optimistic that Gini Wijnaldum will sign a contract extension despite no progress been made in recent times.
The Dutchman whose current deal runs out at the end of this campaign is the type of player who is a managers dream with his team first mentality and has filled many roles for Klopp since his arrival from Newcastle in July 2016.
His durability is another asset having only missed four league games for the Reds since March of 2018 and has averaged 36 league appearances in his five completed seasons in England.
With a high attrition rate across Europe due to the number of games that the players have been asked to play in a condensed schedule, Wijnaldum has once again been a constant presence for club and country during this campaign registering 23 appearances and counting.
Next month the 30 year-old can start to speak to teams outside of England, but speaking ahead of Liverpool’s lunchtime kickoff with Brighton (per the Echo), Klopp made it clear that Gini was a player that he wanted to remain.
“I cannot really say a lot about that but would be happy if he would stay here. I am pretty happy with Gini as you can see when you look at most of the line-ups!
"Gini is one of the best people I have ever met and he is one of the best players I've ever trained and he is an outstanding person so there is no issue, no issue at all.
Klopp is a manager who does not see his players as just talented individuals on a Football pitch, he is also invested in their lives away from the bright lights and adulation and it is those relationships that will last long into the future.
“We are professionals. Our relationship didn't change at all over the years - it improved obviously.
"We've won one or two things together we know each other better.
"I'm interested in his life, he's interested in my life, that is how it is, mine is not so spectacular really - but that is the truth. It is no problem.
"He has always played good, that's why he's played the amount of games he has.
“I cannot remember a lot of bad games to be honest. He played for us in plenty of different positions and he is in a good moment, thank God.
"Long may it continue. I don't know how many games he's played since I've been here, it's good and there's nothing else to say about it.
"As long as nothing is decided everything is possible. I am positive.”
However if Wijnaldum does make his mind to move on, Klopp knows that the midfielder will stay professional right till the very end and cited Emre Can as a prime example before his departure to Juventus.
“He (Emre) played and he gave his absolutely everything until the last day of his contract and Gini will do the same, no doubt about that.
"No harm to our relationship for ever."
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