Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has urged striker Roberto Firmino to extend his stay at Anfield.
The German coach insisted that both the team and the player will benefit if he chooses to stay put in the long run, emphasising the Brazilian's ongoing improvement under him.
"It is very important for both sides. I think everything we are doing, the way we play, the way we give him the opportunity constantly to play - he deserves that," The Telegraph quotes Klopp as saying.
"He deserves that because his work rate is outstanding but it helped him a lot to step up. He became a different player here. Other teams can say, 'Hmmm, he's really good,' but it is not sure they will play the same way and use him as a nine or a 10 or they'll use him out on the wings.
"It is important to keep these players who are at a good age and when there is still space for improvement. There is no doubt we want to do that. You can imagine we try to do that. But they all have contracts. It's not that their contracts are ending in the summer."
Firmino has two years remaining on his current deal, but Klopp and Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group are said to be ready to offer him a lucrative extension.
Other key Reds players including Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah have also been tipped for improved contracts this summer.
Mark Langshaw
