'Absolutely nothing' in Liverpool summer exit rumours, says Loris Karius' agent

The agent of Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius has emphatically dismissed rumours over a potentially swift return to Germany for his oft-maligned client following a difficult first season at Anfield.

Karius, a £4.7m ($5.9m) arrival from Mainz in May 2016, established himself as Jurgen Klopp's first-choice custodian four months after recovering from a broken hand sustained during pre-season.

The former Germany Under-21 international remained at the top of the pecking order until December, when he was finally replaced by Simon Mignolet for a 3-0 victory at Middlesbrough after receiving sustained media criticism following his error-prone displays that contributed to Liverpool dropping points against both Bournemouth and West Ham United.

Karius remained Mignolet's back-up for the rest of the Premier League campaign, making only five more starts in the domestic cup competitions.

Such a disappointing maiden season has led to suggestions that he could head back to the Bundesliga, with Augsburg believed to hold an interest in his services.

However, the player's representative, Florian Goll, insists that speculation is wide of the mark with Karius making an early start in his bid to claw back that number one spot.

"There is absolutely nothing to the rumours that Karius will leave," he told Goal. "He did not sign at Liverpool for the short term - he believes in the vision of the manager and he wants to be fully fit and prepared to fight for the no.1 position from the first day back.

"He has already started his individual programme to keep fit during the summer, because he wants to be completely ready when pre-season starts. He is extremely motivated by the competition."

With veteran Alex Manninger retiring at the end of his one-year contract, Klopp is expected to retain Danny Ward as his third-choice goalkeeper in 2017-18. The 23-year-old Welshman enjoyed a starring role for Huddersfield Town last season, saving three penalties in two play-off shootouts as the Terriers overcame both Sheffield Wednesday and Reading to seal their place in the top-flight for the first time since 1972.

David Wagner was eager to resign Ward from former mentor Klopp, although Liverpool are now said to have rejected that offer as they seek to provide further competition for Mignolet and Karius.

A move for Manchester City outcast Joe Hart has already been ruled out, while surprise links to Iker Casillas were also scotched. Klopp claims to be happy with his current options between the posts and is not actively searching for any upgrades.