Roberto Firmino leaving Liverpool will materialise if the player pushes for the departure.
That is the view of former Arsenal defender Nigel Winterburn, who believes that the Reds forward will be allowed a smooth exit from Anfield if he personally requests one.
Firmino has been linked with a transfer away from Liverpool in recent weeks but Jurgen Klopp poured cold water on the speculation.
Speaking last weekend, the Reds boss claimed that the 30-year-old is the ‘heart and soul’ of his squad [The Guardian] and that he wouldn’t be interested in offloading the Brazil international.
The former Hoffenheim hitman is set for a reduced amount of game time this season following Darwin Nunez’s arrival for £85 million, with Diogo Jota also potentially higher than Firmino in Klopp’s pecking order.
In short, it isn’t impossible for the player to want a move away from Merseyside and Winterburn, speaking to LFC Transfer Room, believes that he’ll be granted one if it comes to that.
He told LFC Transfer Room: “If Firmino pushes for a move, then I think he’ll move on. It doesn’t look like the club want rid of him or that there’s anything going on behind the scenes as far as I’m aware. It’ll just come down to the player and what he wants to do, but I’m sure the club will want to keep hold of him.”
Last week, Corriere dello Sport reported that Liverpool were legitimately close to selling Firmino and despite Klopp’s comments at the weekend, an exit remains plausible.
It comes down to whether Firmino himself believes he can genuinely play regularly ahead of Nunez and Jota – and if the answer is no then, well, the German manager might have to consider the possibility that he wants out, heart and soul of the team or not.
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