Liverpool are reportedly planning to hold talks with Roberto Firmino in the coming weeks over his future amid interest from Juventus.
According to Daily Mirror, Liverpool are set to hold talks with their star attacker Roberto Firmino and his entourage over his future plans amid interest from Juventus, who reckon they can get him for less than £20 million.
The 30-year-old was signed from Hoffenheim for under £30 million in 2015 when Brendan Rodgers was still Liverpool’s boss, and the capture has since proved an absolute steal. Firmino, who spearheaded Jurgen Klopp’s lethal front three, has been instrumental in Liverpool’s ascension to the top of the Premier League and the title they won in 2020. He also played his part in the Reds’ Champions League success in 2019.
To date, Firmino has made a total of 327 appearances for the Reds across all competitions, scoring 98 goals and providing 74 assists along the way. However, with Sadio Mane already departing from Anfield, and Firmino’s importance shrinking, it marks the end of an era for Liverpool’s outstanding trio, despite Mohamed Salah’s recent contract renewal.
After eight years at the club, all eyes are now on Firmino, with the Brazilian entering the final year of his deal and yet to be offered a renewal at Anfield. Last season, in particular, was a tough one for the 30-year-old, with niggling injuries preventing him to get into full flow. He missed 26 games owing to his various injuries and was barely involved in the final stretch of the season as Liverpool sought an unprecedented quadruple.
Still, Firmino was very effective when he played, with Klopp utilising him more as an impact substitute. He contributed to 16 direct goal involvements in all competitions last season but only made 17 starts. As such, Daily Mirror claims that a ‘private chat’ between Liverpool and Firmino, along with his advisors, is scheduled in near future.
The report adds that the Reds will not stand in Firmino’s way if he tells Liverpool that he wants to leave and will let him go rather than risk losing him for nothing next year. From the player’s standpoint, despite seeming settled in Merseyside, he has lost his place in the Brazil squad, and with the 2022 FIFA World Cup on the horizon, he may need more minutes under his belt in order to force his way into Tite’s plans.
With the addition of Darwin Nunez, Firmino has dropped further down the pecking order behind the likes of Salah, Luis Diaz, and Diogo Jota, while Liverpool are also flirting with the prospect of signing Real Madrid’s Marco Asensio. So, Firmino leaving Liverpool for regular game time this summer is not completely out of the question.
Also Read: Three potential Sadio Mane replacements for Liverpool
If Firmino follows Mane out of Anfield this summer, he will almost certainly have several top-level suitors since he still has a lot to offer. Juventus, for one, are expressing an interest and have proposed a part-exchange deal that would see Adrien Rabiot head in the opposite way, but Liverpool are not interested in this formula and prefer to conduct talks with the player first.
