Club captain and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has shocked the red half of Merseyside, with the news that he will be leaving the Reds in the coming summer.

Just hours after scoring two penalties in Liverpool's 2-2 draw at home to Leicester City in the Barclays' Premier League, news has emerged that Gerrard is to finally call time on a long and illustrious career on Merseyside.

Gerrard, who has spent the entirety of his 17 year career at Anfield, will likely see out the remainder of his playing days in America's MLS - with LA Galaxy one of a number of teams interested in acquiring his services, though several European clubs and teams from the Middle East are also interested. 

The 34-year-old has not kept his intentions hidden this season, insisting that he would not be retiring in the near summer and that he would be happy to look elsewhere should Liverpool not come in with a new deal.

Liverpool offered Gerrard, who joined the club at aged eight, a new contract in November, with Brendan Rodgers coming out to suggest he was confident that his skipper would stay, but with his current deal running out in six months - he has been costless to negotiate with clubs since New Years' Day.

The move comes as a shock for Liverpool fans, with Gerrard having repeatedly turned down lucrative moves to the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester United in the past to stay with the Reds. In fact, he was on the brink of leaving for domestic rivals Chelsea back in 2004, before rejecting the move at the last minute. 

In remaining a Liverpool player, he has become the longest serving captain in the club's history, as well as being rightly regarded by many as the Reds' best ever player. 

Since making his debut against Blackburn Rovers on the 29th of November 1998, he has made 695 appearances in all competitions, scoring 180 goals. He has been at the heart of countless important victories, dragging his side through the mire almost single-handedly. Glory taken from occasions such as the famous fightback against AC Milan in the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final in 2005, and the incredible 3-3 FA Cup Final against West Ham the following year, dubbed 'the Gerrard final', have been famously inspired by the Huyton-born midfield star.

The name Steven Gerrard has been synonymous with Liverpool Football Club for years, the only major honour he has yet to win with the club so agonisingly eluding him in the 2013-14 season, as his ill-timed slip helped Chelsea ruin their title hopes with just three games to go. This season, his decline in form has seen him increasingly demoted to the bench in favour of more dynamic and energetic midfielders, but Gerrard's impact cannot be understated - having scored seven goals in all competitions this season.

He remains a huge inspiration for many younger players at the club who all speak in awe of the Liverpool captain and the club are also likely to take a huge financial loss from the shirt sales and merchandise that Gerrard inevitably sells, being such a well renowned figure on Merseyside.

Regardless of the negatives of him leaving, his heroic status and his legacy at the club will never be diminished. He remains the only player to have scored in finals of the Champions League, UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup - winning 11 trophies in the process.

Teammate Jordan Henderson described Gerrard as "probably the best player this country has ever seen – not only as a player, but also as a leader and a captain" earlier this season, whilst previous appraisals from the likes of Daniele De Rossi, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldinho over the years have seen his status as one of the best midfielders of his generation truly confirmed.

It is understood that Gerrard's desire to leave was never due to financial concerns, but his playing time. He has been unhappy at being rested numerous times this season, after quitting international duty to focus on his time at Liverpool, and wishes to play more regularly. 

He will still remain a part of Brendan Rodgers' plans in the final five months of the season and his final farewell at Anfield against Crystal Palace in May will undoubtedly be an emotional one. Gerrard has enjoyed almost all the success he could dream of since joining his boyhood club and the number eight's legacy on L4 will surely be one that is never bettered. 

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About the author
Charlie Malam
Digital Sports Writer at the Daily Express. First-class Staffordshire University Sports Journalism graduate. Formerly VAVEL UK's Liverpool FC editor and Deputy Editor-in-Chief. Contributor since June 2014.