£4m Liverpool signing who is "tired" of talking about infamous mistake in "advanced talks" with new club

Former Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius is reportedly in advanced talks with 2. Bundesliga club FC Schalke 04 as he looks to find a club for the first time since leaving Newcastle United last summer.

The 31-year-old from Germany joined Liverpool from Mainz 05 in the summer of 2016 in a deal worth around £4m. He penned a five-year deal at Anfield and became the established goalkeeper in Jurgen Klopp’s side during the 2017-18 campaign. He made 19 Premier League appearances and 13 in the Champions League. He is best infamously remembered for two mistakes in the 3-1 Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid.

Speaking of his reasons for leaving Newcastle, he told Sport Bible in November: “It didn’t really make sense to me to do a third year. I don’t know. I asked myself, ‘Was I the second-choice and would I get games?’ It was difficult. The coach would have liked to keep me but all in all; the whole package didn’t make sense for a third year. It made sense to move on. They were two great years but it was time for a change.”

Karius in “advanced talks” with Schalke

Sky Sports Germany have reported that talks are underway between Karius and Schalke. He is set to become the club’s number two option, with Ron-Thorben Hoffmann poised to move to Braunschweig on loan. Karius made just two appearances for Newcastle under Eddie Howe, one of which was at Wembley as Nick Pope was suspended for the 2023 Carabao Cup final against Manchester United.

After Karius’ errors against Madrid, Liverpool did initially not appear to be in any rush to replace the German at the club. However, some shaky performances in pre-season led to a decision to pursue a move for Alisson Becker. The Reds agreed a £67m deal with AS Roma for the Brazilian, which was a record fee for a goalkeeper at the time. Alisson became Liverpool’s first choice instantly and has since established himself as one of the club’s modern greats. He played a key role in the club’s success under Klopp and remains relied upon by current boss Arne Slot.

Karius ‘tired’ of talking about Champions League final mistakes

After being demoted to second choice upon the arrival of Alisson, Karius joined Besiktas on a two-year loan before then making the switch to Union Berlin on loan. He spent another year at Liverpool but did not appear for the club all season before being released. He then made the free transfer to the Magpies.

Asked about the 2018 Champions League final back in 2022, Karius said: "It made me go to another club. It was maybe a move that wouldn't have happened otherwise. I have said everything about this [the 2018 Champions League final]. For me it is tiring to keep talking about it, it's football and things happen. In my case there were a lot of unfortunate things, but I don't think about it anymore. Four years in football feels like eight or 12. I was out of the spotlight in Turkey and Germany, so I haven't been in England. But people know me in England.”

On being left out of the squad for a whole season, he said: "I found myself in a situation where I had to stay at Liverpool, knowing I wouldn't get my chance. It was discussed openly with the manager. There's no bad blood, but knowing the situation from the beginning was tough.”