Liverpool set to confirm Kolo Toure's departure

Defender Kolo Toure's departure from Liverpool will be officially confirmed when the club's list of retained players is published on Friday.

The former Ivory Coast international will be the highest-profile name to leave Anfield this summer after his contract expired.

Press Association Sport understands the 35-year-old will not be offered a new contract despite finishing the season as first-choice centre-back alongside Dejan Lovren and putting in the best performance in Liverpool's Europa League final defeat to Sevilla.

There was a point in the last month when there was a chance Toure could earn a new short-term deal with the future of Mamadou Sakho unclear after his failed drugs test.

After an up and down career at Liverpool, Kolo Toure signed off impressively. Credit: PA

However, the France international's initial 30-day suspension has not been extended as UEFA investigate whether the fat burning substance found in his sample should even be on their banned list.

With that in mind, and the fact Joel Matip is arriving from Schalke on a free transfer and the 19-year-old Joe Gomez is returning to fitness after a cruciate knee ligament operation, the decision has been made to let Toure go even though Martin Skrtel is set to follow him out of the door with Besiktas interested in signing the Slovakia defender.

Liverpool had considered offering Toure a coaching role but the defender is keen to extend his playing career as long as possible and could now get a lucrative deal as a free agent.

Other players on the released list will include Jose Enrique, Jerome Sinclair and Jordan Rossiter - all of whom have already left Anfield.