Liverpool are finally prepared to hold talks with Roberto Firmino in the coming weeks, with the issue of the player’s future set to be discussed amid interest from Juventus.
According to the Daily Mirror, the Reds will discuss with the player to know his next line of action, amid uncertainty with his contract situation. The Brazilian has one more year left on his contract and Juventus believe they can snap up the 30-year-old for less than £20 million.
Firmino joined Liverpool from Hoffenheim for less than £30 million in 2015 under the tutelage of then manager Brendan Rodgers. He has proven to be a bargain buy since them. Firmino soon sealed a stake as part of Liverpool’s famous front three, alongside Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah and was highly influential in their Champions League triumph in 2019 and their Premier League win in 2020.
So far, Firmino has scored 98 goals while recording 74 assists across 327 total appearances for Liverpool since making his debut in 2015.
However, with Sadio Mane now departed for a new adventure at Bayern Munich, and with Firmino dropping further down the pecking order at Liverpool, it could yet mark the end of an era for the club’s famous front trio, despite Mohamed Salah recently.
The end of the road for Firmino at Liverpool?
After close to a decade at the club, it would now be interesting to see what happens with Firmino, with the Brazilian yet to be offered a renewal by Liverpool despite entering the final year of his contract.
Last season was particularly difficult for Firmino, with multiple injuries limiting his time on the pitch. Uncharacteristic of him, he missed about 26 games due to injury and was noticeably missing from action in the latter stages of the campaign, despite Liverpool chasing a quadruple at the time.
Despite all of that, Firmino showed his worth whenever he was played, contributing to 16 goal involvements from only 17 starts. Liverpool are now planning to schedule a chat with the player’s entourage, regarding his future.
As per the Daily Star, Liverpool will not stand in Firmino’s way should he decide to follow Mane’s path and opt to leave as well. From a financial standpoint, it also makes sense for the Reds to sell him now rather than lose him for free next summer.
For Firmino, he has seemingly lost his place in the Brazil squad and might need regular minutes to convince Tite to reinstate him back into the fold, ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in November.
The arrival of Darwin Nunez coupled with the brilliant performances of Diogo Jota, who joined in January, means that Firmino will be no more than a second-team player at Liverpool next term. At the end of the day, the Brazilian leaving Liverpool for regular game time this summer is something that could yet happen.
