Steven Gerrard: Liverpool loan return possible - Ian Ayre

Steven Gerrard has been at Liverpool since he was nine

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard could return to the club on loan following his move to Los Angeles Galaxy, says Anfield chief executive Ian Ayre.

The former England midfielder, 34, will leave for Major League Soccer when his contract expires at the end of the season after 25 years with the Reds.

"The fact he's leaving doesn't mean it's the last we'll see of him at Liverpool," Ayre said.

He added that a loan move for Gerrard next January was "conceivable".

"It happens a lot in MLS [Major League Soccer], and it's something we talked to Steven and his representatives about," Ayre told Liverpool radio station City Talk.

"You can't have someone who has so much of the club's DNA in them and just expect that it will go away.

"The details aren't known yet, but we will keep a regular dialogue with him and I hope we will see him here again in the long term."

However, Galaxy president Chris Klein previously told BBC Sport that loaning Gerrard to a European club in the MLS off-season had "never been discussed".

"Gerrard's focus will be LA Galaxy," Klein said.

Liverpool owner John Henry and manager Brendan Rodgers have both said they envisage a role for the midfielder at Anfield whenever he decides to return from the United States.

Gerrard has made 697 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 182 goals, since making his debut in 1998.