Liverpool offer Mamadou Sakho new deal despite losing place in team

• France defender was not even in squad for wins over Stoke and Bournemouth
• Sakho has been linked with both Roma and Bayer Leverkusen

Mamadou Sakho is anxious for regular first-team football before the European Championship next summer.

Liverpool have offered Mamadou Sakho a new long-term contract despite the France international being omitted from Brendan Rodgers’ plans for the first two games of the Premier League season.

The 25-year-old has been the subject of interest from Roma and Bayer Leverkusen after he was left out of the match-day squads for Liverpool’s wins over Stoke City and Bournemouth. Rodgers has preferred to start Dejan Lovren alongside Martin Skrtel so far, having informed the Croatia international he would be first choice before the start of the campaign, and selected the veteran Kolo Touré ahead of Sakho on the substitutes’ bench.

Sakho left Paris Saint-Germain for Anfield in 2013 following concern at a lack of playing time with his boyhood club and is anxious for regular first-team football before next summer’s European Championship in France.

Yet despite interest in the £18m defender and his current predicament at Anfield, Liverpool have informed potential suitors they have no plans to sell Sakho this summer and have underlined their confidence in the former PSG captain by offering him an extended contract. It is believed the new deal would increase his wage from around £75,000 a week to nearer £100,000 a week. Negotiations are only at a preliminary stage, however, and Sakho is likely to see whether his first-team prospects improve before responding.

Lucas Leiva is another player with an uncertain Liverpool future having fallen out with Rodgers on the eve of the new campaign and Besiktas have registered an interest in the 28-year-old. Juventus have considered the Brazil international as they seek midfield cover for Sami Khedira, who has been ruled out for two months with a thigh injury, but the Turkish club have made an offer of a season-long loan. The Besiktas director, Erol Kaynar, said: "A loan deal is likely. It could go ahead within the next two days."