Alisson breaks his silence on his future: "my will is to stay" at Liverpool

Ask Alisson Becker if he wants to stay at Liverpool and there's no hedging, no middle ground: "my will is to stay". And he says it at a particular moment, because his contract runs out in June, and without a renewal, the Brazilian would be free to sign with any club.

The goalkeeper is in his ninth season at Anfield, and over the summer talk of a possible exit picked up steam, with Juventus among the interested clubs. But now Alisson himself is turning down the volume on those rumors.

Yes, in my mind. I'm focused on playing every game, but in my head I'm happy to stay. That depends on a lot of aspects and different situations, but my will is to stay. I'm happy here, my family is happy here. I still have hunger for titles and to perform well. I want to keep playing at the highest level for as long as I can.Alisson Becker

That said, when asked if he had already sat down to negotiate with the board, he was clear: there's no direct conversation with him yet, though the process is already underway. "No. My agent is talking with the club," he answered plainly.

A rest "a bit against his will"

This week Alisson won't travel with the rest of his teammates to international duty. Brazil's coach, Carlo Ancelotti, decided to give him a break for the friendlies against Japan and Singapore. For the 34 year old goalkeeper, the break helps him recharge, though he admits it's not exactly what he would have chosen.

"It's beneficial, for sure," he explained. "You have to use it well because it's a long time: if you don't train, if you don't prepare, time passes fast and you need to stay sharp. It's not like I'll sit on the couch for a week and then go back to training. I still have to work hard, but in my mind I can use it to relax and be more with my family." He added, with honesty: "It's a bit against my will. What I always want is to be with the national team, but I understand this is what I have for now and I'm going to make the most of the rest."

Key figure in the win over Crystal Palace

The footballing context also helps explain his words. Alisson was the standout figure in the 3-1 win over Crystal Palace, with a string of key saves at Selhurst Park that gave Liverpool a victory that puts them in fourth place in the Premier League under Andoni Iraola.

But the goalkeeper prefers caution over euphoria. "I think you have to manage every situation. When things are going well, you need to control the emotion a bit so you don't get overly excited. Our reality is that we're not performing to everything we're capable of, which doesn't mean we're doing badly: we're doing well in a lot of games, but we still lack consistency," he explained.

Alisson insists the team is a work in progress under the new coach and asks for patience, without giving up on ambition. "We have a top level coach, top level players. We're capable of big things, but as a team we need to get to a point where we feel we have everything necessary to win. We're building that, and I hope we get there soon, but it takes time. We, the players, don't have time to waste: we want to win the Premier League, the Champions League, the League Cup, the FA Cup. We want to win everything with this club because it's special, and that's what we're here for."