Jurgen Klopp shares an update on contract talks with Roberto Firmino. The Liverpool star is in the final eight months of his deal.
There’s a real worry that Roberto Firmino could leave Liverpool for free in 2023. His contract expires at the end of June, meaning he’s now in the final eight months of his deal.
We’ve seen remarkably little talk of a new contract, too. Despite being one of the most iconic Liverpool players of his generation, few would be surprised if he moved on at the end of this campaign. Even for free.
But it does seem that contract talks are ongoing. Jurgen Klopp addressed that after Firmino scored once again at the weekend in Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Southampton.
“Normal conversations are happening as well so we will see what happens there,” said Klopp, per the Athletic.
Roberto Firmino contract update
It’s not much but at least it’s something. Liverpool do tend to handle these things remarkably privately, however – as we saw with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané last year.
Unlike those two, though, Firmino is in the final year of his contract. The lack of open discussion makes it more likely that he departs for free. And we’re not sure that’s a good idea.
We’d have understood it a few months ago, admittedly. Firmino appeared to be winding down and Darwin Nunez’s arrival left him without an obvious place in Liverpool’s best XI.
However, things have changed. Firmino is the Reds’ top scorer in the Premier League – something we’d have thought impossible when things kicked off.
The Brazilian is a ‘world-class’ player, as Pep Lijnders puts it, and someone with a natural knack fo influencing games. Usually, that’s through link-up play and selfless pressing. This season, though, he’s added goals and with Firmino looking as good as ever, Liverpool surely won’t let him leave for free.
We’ll cross our fingers that the talks go to plan.