Glen Johnson believes Roberto Firmino will not be satisfied with playing a bit-part role at Liverpool next season as competition for places in the final third of the pitch heats up.
Jurgen Klopp added Luis Diaz to the ranks during the January transfer window and has followed up the acquisition of the Colombian forward by recruiting Darwin Nunez this summer. Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah are also expected to be ahead of Firmino in the pecking order, who is now being linked with a transfer exit.
Recent reports have linked the 30-year-old with a move to Juventus, with a deal said to be 'very close' between the parties. The ECHO understands Liverpool have no desire to offload the former Hoffenheim man this summer and that the club are not aware of any bid being made.
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Whether or not Juventus will step up their efforts to recruit the samba star remains to be seen, with plenty of time remaining for deals to be completed during the transfer window. Offering his view on the situation, Johnson has claimed Firmino can still 'play a big part' but may not be willing to stick around to see if that promises to be the case.
“Let’s face it, if you’re a top player you want to play every single week so I don’t know how he feels about potentially playing a bit less next season,” the ex-England international told GGRECON.
“Jurgen Klopp obviously loves him and he’s a legend of the club, but is he going to be happy playing the last twenty minutes in certain games? Probably not.
“You don’t want to lose too many players who know the club inside out. I don’t know if Firmino will be one of the first names on the teamsheet next season but I definitely believe that he will play a big part."
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