Christoph Baumgartner has admitted his intention to remain at Hoffenheim for another season as being the primary motivating factor behind his contract extension with the German outfit.
The Austria international has been linked with both Liverpool and Manchester United in recent weeks after attracting attention with his performances on the international stage.
“I definitely extended my contract in March with the intention of playing here next season,” the 21-year-old told SportBild (via Sport Witness).
“I see the best opportunity here to develop myself further.
“For me that means: continuous performance at a high level, with even more upward strides.”
The Reds are thought to be seeking a new midfielder to replace PSG-bound Gini Wijnaldum, after the club and player failed to reach an agreeable middle ground in contract talks.
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There can be no undermining the importance of finding a suitable target to fill in the Dutchman’s boots at Anfield.
Considering how often Jurgen Klopp relied on the former No.5, who missed less than 6% of the total number of league games for Liverpool after signing from Newcastle, we can ill afford to trust in injury-prone backup options Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
With the European Championship ongoing, however, we’d expect the remainder of the club’s business to be conducted in July as players gradually return to their clubs.