Liverpool have opened talks with Jerome Sinclair over a new contract following Chelsea debut

Liverpool have reportedly opened talks with highly-rated striker Jerome Sinclair regarding a new contract to keep him at Anfield for the foreseeable future.

According to the Daily Mail, the young striker, who made his debut during the 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Sunday, is highly regarded by the coaches at the club and the hierarchy are keen to tie him down to a new deal.

The 18-year-old striker spent a part of this season on loan at Championship side Wigan Athletic, but made just a single appearance as the Lactics were relegated to League One.

Despite his failed loan spell, Sinclair has been prolific for the Liverpool U21 side and has scored over 20 goals for them this season, which saw them challenge arch rivals Manchester United's U21 side for the title.

The young striker has been preferred to a £16m ($25m) summer signing of Mario Balotelli in recent weeks, but the report claims that he will be sent back on loan at the start of next season in order to get valuable first-team experience in the Championship.

Sinclair became the youngest player in the club's history, when he made his first senior appearance for the Reds in their League Cup clash against West Bromwich Albion aged just 16 years and six days.

Meanwhile, Steven Gerrard has admitted that Saturday will be an emotional day for him as he gets ready to play his final game at Anfield as a Liverpool player.

The former Three Lions skipper is set to leave the Merseyside club at the end of the current campaign to go play in the MLS and the visit of Crystal Palace will be the last time the home fans get to see their legend don the famous red shirt at Anfield.

"It'll be strange, I'm sure it will," Gerrard told Liverpool's official site.

"It'll be an emotional day for me and my family and friends that have followed me throughout my career. And also for a lot of supporters that have watched me for many, many years, not just at the stadium but around the world as well."

"I'm going to get the attention at the weekend, it's not something I really like, but hopefully I can put in a good performance for the supporters so we can get a win and I can enjoy the send-off that I'm going to get," the English midfielder added.

"It's going to be a difficult day but I'm going to try and enjoy it," he concluded.