These are five potential clubs for Roberto Firmino, who has confirmed he will be leaving Liverpool in the summer.
Barcelona
Given the difficult financial situation that FC Barcelona finds itself in, it makes sense that they keep looking at free agents for new signings. Last summer they brought in Hector Bellerin, Marcos Alonso, Andreas Christensen, and Frank Kessie all on contract expiry deals.
Reports have linked the Brazilian forward with a move to Catalonia, and it might be a brilliant deal. Firmino is still only 31 years old, and could still provide at the top level for another two or three years.
He might not be a guaranteed starter in Barcelona but could prove a good asset to the squad as a backup to Lewandowski. Constantly dealing with a financial and wage crisis, the Spanish giants let go of Memphis Depay in January opening a spot up for the Brazilian.
If they don’t end up bringing the prodigal son Lionel Messi home this summer, Firmino wouldn’t be all that disappointing of a consolation.
St. Louis
There are sure to be several teams across the USA interested in the veteran striker, but St. Louis City seems to be the most interested, and in the best position to land him.
A move to America right now would be a step down from Liverpool, however, St. Louis is in their first ever year as an MLS club, and Firmino could be a franchise player for three or four years.
Lutz Pfannenstiel is the Sporting Director in St. Louis and took over as head of scouting at 1899 Hoffenheim in the same summer Firmino would join the club. With a prior successful relationship, it could serve both player and director well to link up once again.
St. Louis has already brought in former Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki and is currently 6-0-2 in their opening eight MLS matches, sitting on top of the western standings. The addition of Roberto Firmino in the summer could make St. Louis serious contenders for a trophy in their infancy.
Atletico Madrid
Despite the interest shown by Barcelona, it may be a better move to the Spanish capital for Firmino. With Joao Felix looking to be on his way out the door permanently in the summer, Atletico Madrid will look to fill the impending void.
They did bring in Memphis Depay from Barcelona in January, however, his future is still somewhat in the air at the Metropolitano. Firmino is a more similar player to Felix and would slot into this Atletico team nicely.
With the ability to play in front of, off of, or even behind someone like Antoine Griezmann, the Liverpool forward would be an exciting addition to an Atletico side currently lacking in identity.
Hoffenheim
Having left the German side in 2015, not many would object to a long-awaited homecoming. Firmino spent four and a half years in the blue of Hoffenheim, scoring 49 times across 153 games. For most of his time in southeast Germany he was the best player on Hoffenheim. By the end of his stay he was one of the best players in all of the Bundesliga.
Now having spent eight years away in Liverpool, Firmino could return to his former club with a Premier League and Champions League medal under his belt, and attempt to help his old team climb back up the Bundesliga table.
Inter Milan
Potentially the most realistic option on the table, and maybe the best would be a move to Italian giants, Inter Milan.
With Romelu Lukaku set to return to Chelsea in the summer, and Lautaro Martinez constantly linked with a move away, now seems like the time to bring in reinforcements.
Two seasons on from their Scudetto win, Inter find themselves struggling to truly compete at the top level consistently. A player with an experience like Firmino would be a welcome addition to any team trying to continue their newfound European success.
The prospect of Firmino in a deeper role, playing off the likes of Martinez and Edin Dzeko, with Denzel Dumfries in support wide and Nicolo Barrella centrally, is an exciting one to think about.
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