Brendan Rodgers: Liverpool in Talks With Steven Gerrard Over Handing New Deal

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed the Reds are keen on handing a new deal to midfielder Steven Gerrard.

The 34-year-old's contract runs down at the end of this season and he has not agreed a new deal to extend his stay at the Merseyside club. He retired from international football to focus on his club career earlier in the summer.

Gerrard had earlier revealed that he will not end his career after this campaign and was open to leaving Liverpool if Rodgers' side fails to hand him a new contract.

However, the former Swansea manager admitted the club has already opened talks with the midfielder's representatives and is hopeful the deal can be agreed "very soon."

"I have already spoken with Steven's representative over a week ago so a real productive good conversation and we took that to the ownership and they are obviously now in the process of getting a deal hopefully agreed and done," Rodgers told BT Sport.

"Steven is a wonderful player. The situation is very simple. In terms of Steven, he's a player of course we want to keep. He has been a big part of my plans since I have been here."

"I've said it a number of times, he's a player that going forward I still want to very much be a part of my plans so hopefully that can be done very soon," he added.

Liverpool's poor run in the league continued as they suffered another defeat at the hands of Newcastle United on Saturday. The Anfield club allowed their star player Luis Suarez join Barcelona earlier in the summer.

The Northern Irishman believes the departure of the Uruguayan international has halted Liverpool's progress this season.

"As I said the natural progress of the team was halted a wee bit because we lost [Suarez] a world class talent," the Liverpool manager said.

"The players we brought in were not really established. With young players, you get mistakes. Then there is the lifestyle. You have adaptation, new players coming into a different way of life."

"It may be difficult for other people to understand it because of where we were last season," Rodgers stressed.