Brazilian great Rivaldo has warned Roberto Firmino against moving to Barcelona in the summer.
Firmino will leave Liverpool at the end of the season. The 31-year-old has decided not to renew his expiring contract and will part ways with the club in the summer after eight successful years.
The Brazilian completed his move from Hoffenheim in a £21.3m deal back in 2015. Since then, he has scored 107 goals and provided 78 assists in 352 appearances.
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Firmino has won seven titles with Liverpool, among them the Champions League in the 2018/19 season and the Premier League title a year later. The forward has been linked with a host of clubs in recent weeks, and one of them is Barcelona.
But Rivaldo, who also made 157 appearances for the Camp Nou club, believes the Anfield hero must seek playing time assurances from Xavi before agreeing to join the Catalan outfit.
"There have been rumours in recent days that Barcelona may look to sign Firmino, who is set to leave Liverpool at the end of the season," he told Betfair.
"Following in the footsteps of other great Brazilian players, I believe Firmino would fulfil a dream of playing for Barcelona.
"However, I think he should first find out what his role in the team would be. Xavi always plays with one centre-forward, Robert Lewandowski, and the arrival of Firmino could suggest a change of strategy, but it will most likely mean that he would be a bench player who would play only a few minutes.
"That's why I think he should weigh up his decision, not least because he's leaving Liverpool because he's lost his leading role within the club.
"That does not take away the beautiful history he has written. No doubt playing at Barcelona is a dream come true, but at this late stage of his career, he might need to look for another club that gives him greater assurance of playing more minutes.
"So, should he reach an agreement with Barcelona, I would hope that he talks to Xavi first in order to understand what his role in the squad will be."
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