Kolo Toure has declared that he wants to fight for his Liverpool place rather than move to Turkish club Trabzonspor.
The 33-year-old centre-back lost his place in the first XI in February, and his chances of returning to the side have been hampered by the summer signing of Dejan Lovren from Southampton.
Lovren is expected to be a first choice this coming season, and Martin Skrtel is the favourite to partner him in central defence, with Mamadou Sakho the likely backup, raising questions over the futures of Toure and Daniel Agger.
Trabzonspor president Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu declared on Tuesday that he was confident of taking Toure to Turkey, but the Ivory Coast international believes Liverpool's busy schedule this season -- which will include at least six Champions League matches -- will give him chances to play if he stays.
And he says that he has been told by manager Brendan Rodgers that he still has plenty to offer at Anfield, even if he is not a regular.
Toure told Sport Ivoire: "Trabzonspor are interested in me, but I am happy to be a Liverpool player -- especially as the coach reiterated his confidence in me for what I bring to the group.
"He wants to keep me to help Liverpool cope with all the competitions they are in. It's true that I have to look at all possibilities, and if I sense there's a need to leave, then I will see.
"There's a possibility that I may need to drop into a lesser league to earn more playing time, but I am a battler and I have decided to stay at Liverpool.
"It's true that things can change at any time, but for the moment, I repeat, I am at Liverpool and I hope to stay at the club. For now, Trabzonspor is a no, but in football, anything can happen."
He added: "I know what to expect, but there will be lots of matches in the Premier League and Champions League, and I now I will have time to prove that I'm still hungry.
"I know I will not play every game, that's for sure."
Toure, who joined on a free transfer after leaving Manchester City in July 2013, was a Liverpool regular during the first three months of the season even as Rodgers reshuffled his defence frequently in a bid to find a successful combination at the back.
But a poor performance in a 3-1 defeat at Hull City on Dec. 1 cost him his place, which he only regained when fellow centre-back Agger suffered a calf injury in early January.
Toure was then dropped again after a couple of significant errors that cost Liverpool goals in matches at West Brom and Fulham in February, and did not start another league game before the season's end.