Liverpool

Liverpool

Premier League • England

Roberto Firmino: Star’s thinking on Liverpool contract offer revealed as Saudi side enter transfer mix

Roberto Firmino, Erling Haaland, Liverpool v Manchester City in the Community Shield at Leicester's King Power Stadium

Liverpool star Roberto Firmino is yet to commit to the offer of a new deal at Anfield, despite the proposal sitting on his table for a number of weeks.

The Brazilian star is hugely popular at Anfield, having been brought to the club in a £29m deal by Brendan Rodgers in 2015. However, his eight-year stay on Merseyside could come to an end this summer. And with his contract at the club expiring, the 31-year-old is unlikely to be short of offers.

To that end, the likes of Atletico Madrid, Juventus and the player’s boyhood team, Sao Paolo, among his suitors.

However, Firmino has proved a key figure for Liverpool this season, appearing in 21 games, scoring nine times and assisting with four more.

And Jurgen Klopp has made clear his desire to retain Firmino’s services, describing the player as ‘the heart and soul of Liverpol’.

He currently earns a salary of around £180,000 a week, with his latest arrangement signed back in 2018. And while Liverpool do want to tie him to an extension, it’s believed their latest proposal to him – submitted in early December – is on reduced terms.

As it stands, Firmino is yet to commit to those terms, giving Liverpool some cause for concern.

And now, according to Sky Deutschland reporter Florian Plettenberg, Firmino is the subject of a hugely ambitious offer from Saudi Arabia.

The Middle East nation have been in the news lately after capital club, Al Nassr completed the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo. Described as the biggest signing in the country’s history, Ronaldo will pocket an eye-watering £173m per year.

Now it seems another club in the country are looking to pull off a transfer coup of their own by landing Firmino.

Roberto Firmino plans on new Liverpool deal emerge

They are reportedly willing to offer him a hugely-lucrative deal to move to Saudi too. And while Plettenberg is unable to reveal the identity of the club, he did confirm it was not Al Nassr, the club who brought in Ronaldo.

However, in assessing where he will end up playing next, Plettenberg is adamant that no ‘fast decision’ will be taken by Firmino over his future.

That said, he does believe that talks over an extension at Anfield were ‘positive’ and that the player remains ‘happy’ on Merseyside. In addition, he states Liverpool still retain an optimism that Firmino is ‘leaning towards’ signing an extension with the Reds.

Firmino, affectionately nicknamed ‘Bobby’ by the Anfield faithful, has made 348 appearances for the club, scoring 107 goals. And claims that he is keen to stay on and commit to a new deal will be warmly welcomed by all associated with the club.

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