Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel has received offers from other clubs and has given no guarantees about his future at Anfield.
Defender noncommittal over future; Rodgers' open style impresses
Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel has received offers from other clubs and has given no guarantees about his future at Anfield, but acknowledges the need to respect his contract.
Premier League champions Manchester City are reported to be one of the clubs who want the Slovakia international centre-back amid rumours he is unsettled by Liverpool's underachievement.
Skrtel was the club's Player of the Year in the disappointing 2011/12 campaign in which they won the League Cup but also lost the FA Cup final and finished a lowly eighth in league.
The poor season cost former boss Kenny Dalglish his job and he has this summer been replaced by Brendan Rodgers, who has said he is counting on Skrtel.
No permission
Karol Csonto, the 27-year-old's agent, has said the player is staying at Liverpool and there have been contract talks over an extension to the remaining two years on his current deal.
However, £6million 2008 January signing from Zenit St Petersburg Skrtel did not sound entirely convinced when speaking to Slovakian newspaper
Dennik Sport before flying out to Liverpool's pre-season tour of North America.
He said: "I am a player of Liverpool because I have a valid contract here. There exist a number of offers but without the permission of Liverpool nothing can move forward.
"We have been in talks about a new contract but it has not moved forward. At the moment I am a Liverpool player and what happens in future in football you can never foresee.
"Anything can happen but for now I have a valid contract and what is to come will come."
Accessible
But Skrtel has been impressed by the accessible approach of Rodgers, which has contrasted the previous style of Dalglish.
Asked about Rodgers, the centre-back said: "He is absolutely OK. His motto is an open approach towards players and he is very human in the way he tries to communicate with us as much as possible.
"Thanks to him, the atmosphere within the club has changed. It is now more relaxed."
Skrtel added: "It is difficult to compare but I must highlight the openness of the new manager.
"He told us right on the first training session we had the door open any time and anything we need we should come to him. He is a little bit different from Dalglish in this."
