Liverpool will see one of their longest-serving academy players leave on a free transfer, with a League Two side already confirming their interest this summer.
Having joined the academy as an U6s player and turning 24 last year, Adam Lewis has been on the books at Liverpool for almost two decades.
That association will end this summer when the left-back’s contract expires, with the Scouser already preparing for his departure from Merseyside.
Lewis has spent the past two seasons on loan with Newport County in League Two, and the Welsh club have already confirmed their intention to sign him on a free transfer.
“I would like to keep him here, I’d like to sit down with him and have conversations around his future,” manager Graham Coughlan told the South Wales Argus.
“I don’t know what Liverpool will want to do with him, if they offer a new contract then I don’t think we can compete with that.
“If they don’t then I’d like to have a conversation with him.”
No offer from Liverpool
Liverpool are unlikely to approach Lewis over a new deal, which is usually the case for academy players whose terms are expiring.
Typically, clubs will offer fresh terms for youth products who are set to depart to protect their value, as their next club would then be required to pay training compensation.
But that only applies to those who are aged 23 or under – with Lewis, who will be 25 in November, instead available for free.
Lewis has already made 58 appearances for Newport, scoring three goals and assisting 12, and speaking to BBC Sport in March said he would “love to stay” permanently.
“I love Newport, I’ve had chats with the gaffer and the club but I’ll always have my options open,” he said.
“I’d love to stay here, I would, but that’s something I’ve got to speak to the gaffer and the club about.”
Though he was a regular in first-team training after being called up for pre-season in 2019, his only senior appearance came for a Liverpool youth side that beat Shrewsbury 1-0 in the FA Cup in 2020.
He started and played the full 90 minutes at Anfield in side featuring the likes of Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Caoimhin Kelleher and Neco Williams and managed by Neil Critchley, as the first team were on winter break.
Lewis is one of a number of academy players who could leave Liverpool this summer, with Mateusz Musialowski and Melkamu Frauendorf among those also in the final month of their deals.
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