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Martin Skrtel will put pen to paper on a new three-year contract at Liverpool next week.

The defender has already agreed the deal in principle, with the details set to be finalised upon his return to pre-season training on Monday.

Skrtel had entered the final 12 months of his current contract, and had expressed concern earlier in the year at what he deemed an “unacceptable” offer from Liverpool.

“I think a contract like this is offered to players who are much older than me, or to players who have had health complications,” he said at the start of June, while Italian giants Inter Milan were linked with a move for the 30-year-old.

But after further negotiations, a deal has been reached, and Skrtel will now extend his seven-year stay on Merseyside. He has made a total of 293 appearances for the Reds since joining from Zenit St Petersburg in 2008.

He will also join a growing list of first-teamers who have committed their future to the club in the last 12 months, following in the footsteps of Daniel Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho, Jordan Henderson, Jordon Ibe and Jon Flanagan, all of whom have penned new deals.

Midfielder Joe Allen is expected to be next. The Welshman still has two years left on his current Reds deal, but talks over a new one are ongoing, and it is unlikely that there will be any complication. He too is due back at Melwood on Monday, along with the majority of the Reds’ first-team squad.

Liverpool will have new assistant manager Sean O’Driscoll in place by then. The 57-year-old will leave his post as England U19 coach to join as Brendan Rodgers’ No.2, replacing the sacked Colin Pascoe.

Pepijn Linders, meanwhile, is expected to step up from his role with Liverpool’s U16 side and become Rodgers’ first-team coach, taking over from Mike Marsh.