Liverpool are keen on making a free-agent move for Manchester City‘s Khiara Keating upon the expiry of her contract.
The Reds’ late surge of form under new manager Gareth Taylor kept the Merseyside club in the Women’s Super League ahead of its expansion next season, and they are already making moves in the transfer market.
Falk Disappointment Leads To Keating Interest
A huge star of Liverpool’s resurgence was loanee goalkeeper Jennifer Falk, with the 33-year-old keeping four clean sheets in 11 matches after her midseason move from BK Hacken.
Taylor was open about his desire to keep the Swedish international at the club on a permanent basis, but were unable to strike a deal with her parent club.
Now, according to Emma Sanders, Liverpool are in a race with other clubs to sign Manchester City shot stopper Khiara Keating to become their new number one option.
Initial reports had stated that a fee would be required in order to secure the 21-year-old, but it has since been revealed that her contract expires at the end of June after rejecting a new contract.
Keating’s status at the Cityzens has diminished over recent seasons, with Ayaka Yamashita preferred by manager Andreé Jeglertz at the Joie Stadium.
Winning a double with the Blues last season, the former Coventry United loanee played nine times across all competitions, primarily as the cup keeper, but was unable to play in the FA Cup final win over Brighton due to injury.
She has been in competition to be Hannah Hampton’s deputy on the international level, and was part of the Lionesses squad which lifted the EUROs title in Switzerland last year.
Switch Elsewhere Needed
Khiara Keating’s career is stalling at Manchester City, which has likely led to her contract being on the verge of expiring this summer and enabling interest to generate.
The 21-year-old is likely to be the goalkeeper of the future for England, but with game time coming increasingly hard to come by, jumping ship could be key to try and get back into Sarina Wiegman’s plans.
Liverpool are seemingly on the path back to improvement after a shaky year or two, and with Gareth Taylor at the helm, will be hoping they can become the best of the rest within an expanded WSL.
Having worked with the Welshman during their time together at City, Merseyside seems like a sensible option for Keating to join, giving her a chance to re-establish herself as a top goalkeeper in the league.
Their interest also highlights Liverpool’s focus on recruiting younger stars to develop, with Mia Enderby, Kirsty MacLean, Alice Bergstrom and Jenna Clark all under the age of 25.
