OAKMONT (AFP) — Defending US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau said Tuesday he expects to sign a new deal with LIV Golf when his current contract with the upstart Saudi Arabia-backed circuit expires next year.

DeChambeau was one of the highest-profile players to join LIV when it was launched in 2022, signing a lucrative contract reportedly worth more than $100 million.

While talks are ongoing about a deal which could see LIV and the PGA Tour form a unified circuit, DeChambeau said Tuesday he is planning to ink a new contract with LIV in future.

"Next year is when it ends," DeChambeau said. "We're looking to negotiate end of this year and I'm very excited. They see the value in me. I see the value in what they can provide, and I believe we'll come to some sort of resolution on that," he said.

DeChambeau sees a long-term future with the Saudi-backed series despite a framework agreement for investment in the PGA Tour by LIV's financiers, the Saudi Public Investment Fund. Two years since that pact, no final deal has emerged.

"I think that LIV is not going anywhere... whether everybody believes in it or not, I think it's a viable commercial option," said DeChambeau.

"I know my worth. I know what LIV brings to the table and I'm excited for the future of what golf is going to be."

DeChambeau hasn't suffered for sponsors since joining LIV, saying, "LIV has been very freeing for me, in a really good way. If anything, it has helped almost reestablish who wants to be a part of this, and I think that's really cool."

In the short-term, however, DeChambeau remains focused on defending his US Open crown, revealing on Tuesday that he had recently begun using a new set of irons as he readies for this week's test at Oakmont.

The 31-year-old American won his first major at the 2020 US Open and added last year's US Open by getting up and down from 55 yards on the last hole to edge Rory McIlroy by a stroke.

DeChambeau's most recent title came at last month's LIV Golf Korea before he was second at the PGA Championship and took a share of fourth at last week's LIV Golf Virginia, where his new irons got their first test.

"I put them in play last week and they felt great," DeChambeau said. "Is it going to be the ultimate answer to me winning? I mean, probably not. You've still got to putt well, drive it well and everything.

"They seem to have helped this week. Will it help me on certain shots in certain conditions? I think it might. If it doesn't, I'll go back to the drawing board and try to figure out why that occurred and continue to optimize."

DeChambeau, who could become only the eighth back-to-back US Open winner this weekend, remains a hugely popular figure online, with more than two million people following golf videos on his Youtube channel.

"Part of it is doing it for the fans, patrons and the people that are viewing myself on YouTube," he said.

"That's really what gets me up in the morning and gives me a lot of passion for this game."