Liverpool have been tipped to open talks with Roberto Firmino in the coming months about his future at the club and could give the Brazilian freedom to choose what he does.
Firmino turned 30 in October and recently entered the final 18 months of his current contract, which is due to expire at the end of next season.
The player has seen injuries and a bout of coronavirus limit him to only five Premier League starts so far this season, allowing Diogo Jota to flourish in his absences.
But despite fierce competition for his long-term starting place, it has been suggested in Germany, where Firmino first made his name in Europe with Hoffenheim, that Liverpool are looking to keep him beyond 2023 when his existing contract expires.
Talks about his future are not expected to take place just yet but are intended to happen some time in the next few months. It is said that the Reds do not want to ‘scare him away’, while the point is made that Firmino’s relationship with Jurgen Klopp remains ‘perfect’.
Plettenberg also adds that rumours linking Firmino with Barcelona are ‘not hot’.
Firmino is one of only three remaining Liverpool players that Klopp inherited from predecessor Brendan Rodgers, along with Jordan Henderson and James Milner, having otherwise completely transformed the first-team squad.
The forward joined from Hoffenheim in the summer of 2015 in a £29m deal. He initially struggled but started to improve once Klopp arrived and came into his own when paired with Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah in the years that followed.
Firmino has scored 94 times for Liverpool in 310 appearances to date, winning the Champions League, Premier League and FIFA Club World Cup during his time on Merseyside.
Sky Sport Deutschland reporter Florian Plettenberg has explained that Liverpool will grant Firmino the power to make up his own mind about what happens next.
