Liverpool’s Premier League supersub Divock Origi is in talks with Napoli but, according to Tuttomercatoweb, the Serie A giants may struggle to match his £50,000-a-week demands.
Origi may not have performed his usual party trick on Saturday – as Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool cut Manchester City’s lead to just six points – but the Belgium international certainly played his part in a 3-1 comeback victory over Norwich City.
The striker’s introduction just after the hour helped turn the tide in the hosts’ favour.
Origi gave Liverpool a much-needed physical presence through the middle, someone capable of squaring up to broad-shouldered Grant Hanley and Ben Gibson.
That Liverpool equalised two minutes after Origi’s introduction – through an acrobatic Sadio Mane volley – hardy felt like a coincidence. And while the long-serving frontman has played just four Premier League games all season – accumulating just 66 minutes – his departure would rob Klopp of a genuine match-changing talent.
Hardly the most glamorous member of a star-studded frontline. But one who has almost come to re-define the term ‘cult hero’.
“Divock Origi, the legend,” Klopp beamed after the 26-year-old added to his Anfield legacy with a typically dramatic, stoppage-time winner over Wolves in December.
“He is an incredible finisher. I hope one day he finds a manager that plays him more than I do.”
Is Divock Origi leaving Liverpool for Serie A?
According to TMW, Serie A title-challengers Napoli see Origi as the ‘perfect’ alternative for Victor Osimhen. Someone capable of competing with, replacing and, occasionally, even playing alongside the £51 million Nigeria international.
Napoli have been in talks with Origi’s agents over the last couple of weeks.
The striker’s wages – understood to be in excess of £50,000-a-week – may be a potential stumbling block, however. Especially with Napoli looking to tie down one of their highest earners, Dries Mertens, to a new deal.
Origi will be a free-agent in the summer. If, or when, he does depart, he will ride off into the sunset having firmly established himself as one of the most popular players in Liverpool’s recent history.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
