Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes that his side's glittering haul of trophies in the past few years would not have been possible without James Milner amid reports linking the Englishman with a summer exit.
The 37-year-old has now entered the final two months of his contract with the Reds and is reported to be close to signing for Brighton & Hove Albion on a free transfer.
Milner has taken a backseat role during the current campaign, but he remains a vocal presence behind the scenes and is regarded as a valuable member of Klopp's squad.
The German is believed to have been pushing for the Liverpool board to offer the former England international a new deal, but he is seemingly edging closer towards a departure at the end of the season.
Speaking to the media ahead of Saturday's Premier League contest with Brentford, Klopp admitted that he "would have liked" to keep Milner on the books, but he affirmed that he was not aware of any final decision over the midfielder's future.
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"With Millie I can say that over the years and last few months I have had really good conversations with him. He knows how highly I value him, he's an incredible part of this team and I would have loved to work together with him even longer," Klopp told reporters.
"What the outcome will be of is decision, Millie will say that, I'm not sure that happened already or not, not really aware of that, but nothing else to say from me.
"Nothing will change, I've said it a couple of times, what happened in the last seven years - all the positive things - would not have happened without James Milner. That's all."
Since leaving Manchester City for Liverpool in 2015, Milner has become a Champions League and Premier League winner with the Reds, as well as clinching glory in the Club World Cup, FA Cup, EFL Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Community Shield.
Despite his advancing years, Milner has still featured regularly under Klopp this season with two assists from 39 appearances, although he has only started six Premier League matches.
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While Milner could soon be swapping Anfield for the Amex, current Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister is being tipped to head in the opposite direction as Liverpool try to bring in at least two new lynchpins for the 2023-24 season.
The 24-year-old became a World Cup winner with Argentina back in December and scored his ninth Premier League goal of the season with a last-minute penalty to hand Brighton a 1-0 win over Manchester United on Thursday.
Over the past couple of days, Liverpool are believed to have stepped up their efforts to bring Mac Allister to Anfield and have entered advanced talks over a move, but Klopp unsurprisingly gave little away.
"With all other things transfer-wise, [you will be] the first to be informed if something will happen. Before that nothing really to say about it," Klopp added on Mac Allister.
The Reds boss also delivered a pessimistic injury update ahead of Saturday's game, revealing fresh concerns over the fitness of Diogo Jota and Jordan Henderson.
Ben Knapton
