Liverpool may have to sell one of their stars after signing Cody Gakpo.
Liverpool have been warned they are facing a “sad exodus” as one of their stars Roberto Firmino has been tipped to leave the club following Cody Gakpo’s signing. The Reds pipped Manchester United to what could become a £50million deal for the Netherlands forward, as Jurgen Klopp’s side are set to bolster their forward options following injuries to Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota.
Both players are not expected to return before February, as Liverpool fielded Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the left in their 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day. The former Arsenal man’s contract is up at the end of the season alongside team-mates Firmino and Naby Keita, and all three could be set to leave the club in the summer.
Former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino has tipped the Brazilian forward to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season following the capture of Gakpo, who is set to undergo a medical on Merseyside after an agreement between the Reds and PSV was found on Monday evening.
“Wow, more goals,” Cascarino told talkSPORT. “Just think, they’ve got Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez who you’d like to think will chip in with more goals, and now Gakpo, who is only 23 years old. The most surprising thing about Gakpo is that he’s 6ft 4in but he’s not your traditional centre-forward. He’s very athletic, he’s very quick.
“He’s so versatile that you can play him in any position in the forward line – and that’s typical of a Klopp signing, that he likes to use certain layers in different positions. But, I think there will be a sad exodus for some players who have been terrific for Liverpool but have their contracts running down. And I think that will be Firmino in the summer.”
Firmino is Liverpool’s joint-top scorer this season in the Premier League, as he and Salah have both scored seven times so far this campaign. Despite being more on the fringes of the team after the signings in recent years of Jota, Diaz and Nunez, the 31-year-old has remained an important part of the team.
There have been questions regarding his future, however, as his deal is up at the end of the season and he has been linked several times with a move to Juventus.
Brazilian outlet UOL have claimed that the Reds have held talks with Firmino over a new contract for a further one or two years, but they are not keen on a longer-term deal.
Firmino can directly speak to foreign clubs on January 1 regarding a pre-contractual agreement and would be free to negotiate a potential deal with Juventus, but his priority reportedly is to remain at Anfield.
