Liverpool want Steven Gerrard to be part of club after retirement

Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre has claimed that the club wants Steven Gerrard to remain at Anfield after he decides to end his playing career.

The 34-year-old has been a Reds player since the age of eight, but is yet to decide on whether to sign a new one-year contract that has been offered to him.

"We have made an offer to Steven and we have to be respectful to him and where he is in his career," BBC Sport quotes Ayre as saying. "There is no pressure from our side.

"He is an iconic part of this football club and we want to see him here for many years - and that is not just about his playing career."

The midfielder, who has won every trophy in club football apart from the Premier League, faced criticism in recent weeks, but was able to get on the scoresheet in Tuesday's 3-1 victory over Leicester City.