Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has once again asserted that he wants to keep his striker Roberto Firmino at the club. There have been speculations around Firmino’s future at Liverpool for months now, with his contract up at the end of this season. As a result, the striker is now free to hold talks with potential suitors to move away from Anfield as a free agent in the summer.
However, Klopp has been insisting as well from time to time that Roberto Firmino is one of his most trusted players at the club and that he wants him to continue being a Red. But there have been no talks of a contract extension being offered to the 31-year-old, with time certainly running out. It has further helped fire the rumours that Liverpool are rather against handing an extension to their loyal servant.
Roberto Firmino open to leaving Liverpool if not offered an extension
Roberto Firmino has already cemented his status as a Liverpool legend across his eight seasons at the club. The Brazilian was a Klopp signing after the German had been appointed as the Reds’ manager in 2015. One of the new manager’s first signing, Klopp knew Firmino from his Bundesliga days when he managed his Borussia Dortmund against the striker’s former club, Hoffenheim.
The lethal forward hasn’t looked back since joining the Reds, scoring a staggering 107 goals and providing 78 assists in 348 appearances for the club so far. Firmino was a key-player in Liverpool’s 2019/20 Premier League title win, their first in 30 years, while also winning everything there is to with the club, in a Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup, FA Cup and Carabao Cup triumph.
However, it seems the club wants to move on from the Brazil international, as they are reportedly ready to let him go for free in the summer. Just six months remain on his current deal and neither the player nor the club have talked about an extension. The rumours of Roberto Firmino leaving Liverpool went wild after it was reported that he has a number of clubs waiting to take him in for free.
But amidst his exit reports, his manager has once again openly admitted that he wants the former Hoffenheim striker to put stay at Liverpool. Firmino is currently sidelined with a calf injury he sustained before Christmas and hasn’t featured since for the Merseyside club. He wasn’t involved either in their latest win over Wolves in the FA Cup fourth-round replay, as Klopp said on being asked about the striker’s future after his side’s narrow 1-0 win and progression:
“I said that before – yes, I want to keep him [Firmino] at the club.”
While Klopp may want the club to extend his 2015 signing, it seems Firmino is out of the picture at Anfield. His gametime has been massively reduced since the club’s record signing Darwin Nunez last summer who operates in the same position as the Brazilian. Moreover, Cody Gakpo’s arrival this month further puts Firmino down in the pecking order, with Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota yet to make a comeback from their injuries.
Once Klopp has his full-pack of attackers, it Roberto Firmino will be nowhere near a regular starter let alone a key player of the future project. As a result, he is batting an eye to the likes of Barcelona and potential offers from Saudi Arabia as well as his homeland Brazil who are ready to swoop in for him in the summer when he becomes a free agent. Despite inconsistency in gametime, Firmino has still managed an impressive 7 goals and 3 assists in 13 Premier League games this season.