Liverpool star reveals why playing well could complicate future exit

Liverpool backup goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has expressed concerns about how his performances in the absence of Alisson over the coming weeks could complicate a potential sale.

The long-serving number two openly wanted to leave Merseyside last summer in search of sustained first-team football. Kelleher has only been afforded opportunities in the Premier League when Alisson, the undisputed first choice, has been injured.

The Brazilian shot-stopper pulled up with a hamstring injury ahead of October's international break, ruling him out of as many as seven fixtures. Kelleher stepped up for the first of those games on Sunday, helping his side earn a 2-1 victory against Chelsea, but has acknowledged that each composed performance gives Liverpool licence to increase his price tag.

"I played so many times last season and if you do well your valuation goes up," Kelleher told the Telegraph earlier this month. "Obviously the club is going to want to get a good profit."

Kelleher caught the eye of several suitors over the summer but none of them matched the £20m fee the club have assigned to the 25-year-old, whose current Liverpool deal doesn't expire until June 2026.

"There was some interest," Kelleher revealed. "It's normal that, when you play for a club like Liverpool, and I obviously had a long spell in goal last season and thought I did quite well. I spoke with the manager about the situation, but it was never going to change because the fact is that I am up against Alisson and he's one of the best in the world. So he's always going to be number one and he's always going to play.

"There were other factors, like negotiations with clubs as well as Liverpool needing to be happy. At the end of the day, it just didn't materialise and I didn't get a move."

The Republic of Ireland international has made it abundantly clear that he cannot be shackled to the sidelines for much longer. "I'm not going to enjoy myself or be happy sitting on the bench," he added. The impending arrival of Giorgi Mamardashvili - who was signed in August for £30m and will join the squad next summer after a loan spell at Valencia - knocks Kelleher further down Liverpool's pecking order.

Alisson's prolonged absence will give the eager goalkeeper some much-needed game time, which he is planning to use to his advantage. "The best thing I can do is go and play well and, yeah, maybe give the manager something to think about, give him a headache maybe," Kelleher said. "If I play so well, how can he take me out, something like that. Do as well as I can to put some pressure on at least."

It's not all bad for the frustrated shot-stopper. As he acknowledged: "It's not the worst thing in the world to stay at a club like Liverpool."

READ THE LATEST LIVERPOOL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP