Martin Skrtel insists he's committed to Liverpool despite speculation

Skrtel

Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel has brushed aside speculation about his future and insists he is looking forward to the new season at Anfield.

Most recently the Slovakia international has been linked with Premier League champions Manchester City and before that it was Russian big-spenders Anzhi Makhachkala.

However, while Skrtel's agent has previously hinted the player wants to be reassured the club's ambitions meet his own, the 27-year-old said he was optimistic the coming campaign would be better than the last, which brought a first trophy for six years but also saw the side finish eighth.

"I will be leaving for Liverpool on July 6. I am very excited about new season," Skrtel told his personal website.

"I hope we will be ready and this time it will be much better than in the last one.

"There is also speculation about my exit from Liverpool but I can say that there was no offer on the table yet and we didn't hold talks with any club."

Skrtel, Liverpool's player of the year last season, has two years remaining on his contract and new Reds manager Brendan Rodgers is likely to want the centre-back to extend that deal.

PA