Rumors linking Joe Gomez with a transfer from Liverpool will not go away.

Jürgen Klopp has scoffed at the suggestion that Gomez could leave in January recently and made it clear that he is integral to his plans for Liverpool’s future.

Aston Villa and Steven Gerrard, however, remain linked with a move for him, whether on loan or permanent transfer. Calciomercato is the one who made the latest complaint, with Italian media suggesting that a “proposal has been received” by Liverpool for the player.

In a way, the links with an exit for Gomez do make some sense. The World Cup is next year and Gomez will want to appear for England under Gareth Southgate. The only way this will happen – even with England’s lack of depth in this position – is to play regularly for his club.

Joël Matip is ahead of him in Liverpool’s current hierarchy, while Ibrahima Konaté also plays quite regularly. Gomez has missed games this season through injury, rather than just not being able to make his way into the squad.

He has made eight appearances to date, although five of them have been on the bench, and he has been captain of the EFL Cup squad against Norwich.

Gomez’s next chance will almost certainly return in the EFL Cup this weekend, this time against Leicester City, assuming the game goes well amid several games called off due to Covid outbreaks, including the Foxes game. with Everton this weekend.

Stay in shape in the second half of the campaign and it will showcase a lot. Spend more time on the sidelines and it doesn’t matter who he’s playing for – if he’s injured, he’s injured.

Rather than being replaced by Konaté, this is the pair that Liverpool see as their future; the two central defenders who will one day succeed Van Dijk and Matip as the first choice.

In the meantime, it may take some patience, but Gomez has already shown that he can reach the required level, having been a vital part of the squad that won the Champions League and then the Premier League.

At just 24 years old, Gomez can take the next steps in his career over the next two seasons and still have his peak years ahead of him, and that’s what Klopp and Liverpool expect of him.

Any idea that it might be better to move away from Liverpool, even on loan, is absurd; he will have plenty of minutes in the second half of the season provided he stays in shape.

In the long run, being the man to succeed Virgil van Dijk as Liverpool’s most trusted and senior center-back remains a task more than achievable.