‘Had the opportunity’: £180k-a-week Liverpool star could have joined another PL club this summer – Romano

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Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino had an ‘opportunity’ to leave the club to join another Premier League side this summer.

That’s according to journalist Fabrizio Romano. Writing for Wettfreunde, the transfer specialist claimed that Firmino could have left Liverpool, but The Reds blocked any deal.

“Both Nathan Phillips and Roberto Firmino have had the opportunity to move to another club in recent weeks. But Liverpool have declined because of the many injuries,” he said.

“Some English clubs were interested in Roberto Firmino, but Liverpool didn’t even want to negotiate. My feeling is that Liverpool will try to keep the current squad and then add a midfielder.”

Bobby going nowhere

It’s a good job Liverpool did decline those offers. With Darwin Nunez serving a three-game suspension, the £180k-a-week Firmino has once again become a vital part of Jurgen Klopp’s team.

There may have been some temptation to cash in on him with just a year left on his contract. Juventus were a name that were bandied about with some frequency, and maybe Bobby would have welcomed a change of scenery after seven years at Liverpool.

But the line from the player’s camp has always been that he’s happy on Merseyside. Should an offer of a contract renewal be placed in-front of him, it seems likely that Firmino would sign it.

Whether or not that comes could depend on his form over the coming months. After a couple of underwhelming campaigns, the 30-year-old kicked this one into life on Saturday.

Firmino claimed five goal contributions in a single match. It takes a special player to do that. He’ll get another go as Nunez sits out the last of his suspension tomorrow night against Newcastle.

If he can put in a similarly industrious performance, then he may even start the next one against Everton, too.

That’s the kind of scenario that could help him prolong his stay at Liverpool. It’s clear that Bobby still has a lot to offer this team on his day. Whether those days come around enough this season will determine if his future lies with The Reds.

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