Liverpool striker Diogo Jota is reportedly in line to receive a bumper new contract as a reward for his performances since joining Jurgen Klopp's side.
The Reds prised the 25-year-old away from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a £40.2m fee in the summer of 2020, and he has established himself as an integral cog of Klopp's squad.
Jota ended his first season at Anfield with 13 goals in all competitions and found the back of the net 21 times in the 2021-22 campaign, in addition to providing eight assists.
Fifteen of Jota's strikes came in 35 Premier League appearances, putting him joint-sixth in the Golden Boot charts behind Mohamed Salah, Son Heung-min, Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane and Sadio Mane.
The Portugal international still has three years left to run on the terms he signed upon his arrival at Anfield, but according to the Daily Mail, he can expect a lucrative pay rise with a new contract.
The report adds that Liverpool are making progress in negotiations with the former Atletico Madrid man, who has now totalled 34 goals and nine assists in 85 appearances for the Merseyside club.
Jota won his first trophies with Klopp's side last year, scooping the FA Cup and EFL Cup double, but he was not involved in the recent Community Shield win over Manchester City due to a hamstring injury.
The attacker initially sustained the problem while on Nations League duty with Portugal in June and aggravated the issue during pre-season training, which left Klopp pessimistic over his recovery time.
"So, Diogo is unlucky. Diogo was not involved [against United] because of an injury he got at the end of his season," Klopp told reporters last month.
"He trained yesterday fully and got injured again, so that's really not cool but we have to wait for the results. He had further assessment this morning so we have to see. It is the same region, yes."
Prior to the 3-1 victory over Man City at the King Power Stadium, Klopp added at his pre-game press conference: "Diogo was not here with us so how could he play a football game? That will take a while unfortunately. That's it."
However, Jota could supposedly be back in training with the Reds by the middle of this month, which could put him in contention for the Premier League clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford on August 22.
Liverpool have already extended the contracts of James Milner, Joe Gomez and Salah this summer, as well as tying Klopp down to a new deal until the summer of 2026.
A second-string Liverpool side lost 3-0 to Strasbourg in their final pre-season encounter at the weekend, and the Reds will kick off their new Premier League campaign against Fulham on Saturday lunchtime. body check tags ::
