Liverpool ready to turn down bids for James Milner in the January transfer window

Liverpool will turn down any bids for James Milner in the January transfer window, as Jurgen Klopp continues to consider the former England international as an integral part of his squad.

The 31-year-old returned to the starting 11 on Tuesday night (17 October), as he captained Liverpool during their 7-0 mauling of Slovenian side Maribor in the Champions League but he is understood to be frustrated at the lack of regular opportunities.

The former Leeds United, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Manchester City midfielder has started only two Premier League games so far this season and has played a combined 62 minutes across his other four appearances.

The Leeds-born midfielder retired from international football in August last year in a bid to prolong his club career and attracted interest from a number of clubs during the summer, chief among them Leicester City.

However, according to the Telegraph, Klopp has reassured Milner his chances will come, albeit admitting he can no longer guarantee him a spot in the starting line-up. During the German's first full season in charge, Milner only missed two league games and started each of his 36 appearances, with Klopp deploying him as left-back.

The experiment, however, has now been shelved as Alberto Moreno's form has improved allowing the Spaniard to make the left-back position his own, while Klopp has also brought in Andy Robertson from Hull City to cover for Moreno.

In his favourite role in midfield, meanwhile, Milner faces competition from Emre Can and Georginio Wijnaldum, while Adam Lallana will also vie for a spot in the starting line-up once he returns to action next month and club-record signing Naby Keita will join from RB Leipzig in the summer.

While Liverpool are determined to hang onto Milner in January, his future is likely to be discussed again in the summer, when he will have 12 months left on his four-year deal.

"It's the situation we want and need," Klopp was quoted as saying by the Liverpool Echo. "We need more high quality players than 11. We play without Clyne, Lallana and Mane and we still have more players than we can use. I respect Milly a lot, he is a very important player for us both on and off the pitch."

The Yorkshireman is unlikely to start on Sunday (22 October), when Liverpool travel to Wembley to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. The Reds are four points behind Spurs and nine points adrift of leaders Manchester City after a run of just one win their last five league matches and a defeat would all but end any residual chances of mounting a title challenge.