Liverpool star jokes ‘I’m leaving’ as he poses with different club’s shirt along with Mohamed Salah
Kostas Tsimikas ruffled a few feathers by duping fans into thinking he was leaving Liverpool.
The Greece international has been subject of transfer speculation linking him with a move away from Anfield this summer.
And the rumours were ramped up a notch when Tsimikas was seen holding up a Real Betis shirt with his name and number on the back.
But Liverpool fans’ fears were allayed when it became apparent that Tsimikas was subject of a joke from former teammate Adrian who left Anfield for the La Liga club this summer.
The goalkeeper cunningly dipped into a bag and pulled out a shirt he had printed for the 28-year-old.
Tsimikas burst into laughter at the first sighting of his personalised Betis shirt before uttering 'I’m leaving' into the camera.
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But it was all smiles afterwards for the left-back ahead of tonight’s friendly against Betis in Pittsburgh.
Luckily for Reds fans, they already knew the drill when a separate image of Mohamed Salah was posted on Instagram with Adrian repeating his antics.
As it stands, neither player appears set to leave Anfield any time soon with new boss Arne Slot keen to assess all of his options ahead of the Dutchman’s first season at the club.
"We already have a very good team I'm already really happy with," Slot said on Friday.
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"But it would be a surprise for all of us I think, if we don't bring any player in. So that will probably happen in the end.
"For now, we are just waiting for the players to come back and waiting for the right ones to sign."
Salah is into the final 12 months of his current deal after the Reds fended off interest for their talismanic forward from Saudi Arabia.
Tsimikas, who only signed a new deal last summer, will be hoping for more game time next season after falling to third-choice left-back last season.
Joe Gomez was often preferred as cover for Andy Robertson leaving the Greek with reduced minutes.
With Robertson unavailable until after the tour of the United States, Tsimikas has the opportunity to stake his claim under the new Anfield boss.
Gomez is not yet due to report for pre-season training after his exploits at Euro 2024 with England.