Brighton & Hove Albion are in talks with James Milner about extending his stay at the club.
Discussions are ongoing with Milner and his representatives about his future plans after a second successive injury-disrupted season for the 39-year-old.
Brighton are keen to continue tapping into Milner’s wealth of top-level experience and versatility, although it is yet to be established whether that would be as a player, as a coach or in a hybrid role covering both playing and coaching for one of the most vocal members of the squad on and off the pitch.
Milner is out of contract this summer. He joined Brighton in 2023 on a free transfer after eight successful years at Liverpool. He made 20 appearances in the first half of his debut season at the club under former head coach Roberto De Zerbi but missed the second half of the campaign through injury before signing another one-year deal last May.
He started the first three league games of the current campaign in midfield under De Zerbi’s replacement Fabian Hurzeler but has been ruled out by hamstring damage which required surgery since going off in a 1-1 draw at Arsenal in August.
Milner made the 637th Premier League appearance of his career at Arsenal, putting him within 16 games of the 653-match record set by Gareth Barry.
The former England international, a fitness fanatic, has also represented his home city club Leeds United, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Manchester City in a top-flight career spanning 23 years and he is keen to carry on playing into his 40th year.
Brighton face league champions Liverpool in their final home game of the season at the Amex Stadium on Monday night. They are in a three-way fight with Brentford and Bournemouth to finish eighth in the table, which could be good enough to qualify for Europe.
(Photo: Masashi Hara/Getty Images)