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Liverpool Echo

Sport

Theo Squires

Roberto Firmino can't escape the inevitable as Liverpool risk Andrea Pirlo lesson

Roberto Firmino Liverpool Andrea Pirlo Juventus Mohamed Salah Adrien Rabiot Jurgen Klopp Bosman (Person) Emre Can Serie A

Roberto Firmino would be a very ‘Juventus’ signing. Firmino found himself linked with a move to the Old Lady on Thursday, with reports in Italy suggesting the Serie A giants could offer Liverpool Adrien Rabiot in a swap deal for the Brazilian

Juventus need a forward to replace Paulo Dybala while the Reds’ need for a new midfielder in the near future, with plans put on hold until the summer of 2023, is well known. With Firmino and Rabiot both out of contract in 2023, there we have it. The creation of this supposed swap deal. Both sides get what they’re after, everyone’s happy.

Or not. Such a notion is quite frankly lazy and absurd. Swap deals are pretty rare, and having already seen Sadio Mane , Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi depart this summer, Jurgen Klopp will have no desire to wave off another forward and, even if Liverpool
changed their midfield stance, Rabiot, who Juventus have wanted shot of for a number of seasons now, is not the answer. Rumour quashed.

But, considering that this time next year Firmino will be, as things stand, enjoying the final day of his Reds contract, the notion of Juventus being interested in his services is not out of the question. After all, the Bosman transfer has been something of a favourite in Turin offices ever since the club won promotion back to Serie A in 2007.

Starting with Hasan Salihamidzic from Bayern Munich, Zdenek Grygera from Ajax and Olof Mellberg from Aston Villa, as the Old Lady looked to re-establish themselves as Italy’s elite, Fabio Cannavaro then returned to the club on a free transfer from Real Madrid in the summer of 2009 with fellow World Cup winner Luca Toni joining on a free 18 months later.

But it wasn’t until the start of the 2011/12 season, a year which would end with Juventus winning Serie A for the first time since the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal, when they signed Andrea Pirlo on a free transfer from AC Milan, that the Old Lady really flourished in the high-profile Bosman market. Snatching the crown from Il Rossoneri in the process, along with the Italian legend, Milan's loss was Juve's gain.

In the years that followed, Paul Pogba, Lucio, Fernando Llorente, Kingsley Coman, Neto, Sami Khedira, Dani Alves, Emre Can, Gianluigi Buffon, Aaron Ramsey and Rabiot have all been snapped up on free transfers. Admittedly not all have been successes, with the ultimately underwhelming returns when on mammoth wages for three of those last four seeing Juventus steer clear of Bosmans in recent windows.

However, they have returned to their specialist market this close-season. Pogba has reportedly agreed to re-join the club on a free transfer following his release from Manchester United, while Angel Di Maria is also set to sign for the club on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain. And just like in 2011, where after a few years in the wilderness, the free arrival of Pirlo reignited their fortunes to reclaim the Serie A title and kickstart a new period of dominance, they'll be hoping history can soon repeat itself after repeatedly falling short in recent years.

As a result, it would not be beyond the realms of possibility that Firmino could be their next Bosman transfer in 2023. The Brazil international is one of six senior players out of contact at Anfield next summer, along with Mohamed Salah , Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and Adrian.

And while Klopp has spoken publicly of his desire for Salah and Keita to sign new contracts, it currently remains unclear what the club’s stance is with Firmino despite his desire to remain at Liverpool.

In recent years, his goalscoring returns have been criticised while injuries saw him fall behind Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz in the pecking order last season, when he had to make do with a predominantly substitute role. And with the arrival of Darwin Nunez from Benfica for a potential club-record £85m, after sporting director Julian Ward was tasked was revamping the club’s attack, it would appear the Uruguayan is going to be first-choice down the middle this season at Firmino’s expense.

However, should the Reds switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation, as many have speculated this summer, the 30-year-old could have the perfect chance to reclaim a starting role in a new position as Liverpool’s number 10. Yet, either way, to a certain extent he is playing for his future in the months ahead.

With his contract set to expire in 12 months’ time, it is rare for big-name players to stay put at their parent clubs after reaching such a stage in their deals. After all, if the club was so keen to retain them, they would have agreed an extension already without getting to their final year when value only drops and the risk of a free transfer exit very much becomes a reality.

In six months Firmino, Salah and Co will be free to discuss pre-contract agreements with overseas clubs. If Liverpool want to keep these players, they are running out of time to secure their signatures.

The Reds will keep their cards close to their chest, of course. Despite not yet agreeing new terms with Salah, for example, with his agent confirming he has no intention of signing the deal offered to him back in December, Liverpool have not yet given up hope of retaining his services.

But the Reds have been in this situation twice before in recent years regarding two of their first-choice players. And despite a desire to stay put at Anfield while side-stepping questions about their futures, both would leave the Reds on free transfers.

Juventus took advantage of Emre Can ’s expiring contract to lure him away from Liverpool on a big-money contract back in 2018, while it was Gini Wijnaldum departing on a free for PSG 12 months ago. Klopp was happy for the pair to see out their contracts, convinced by their commitment to the cause despite impending exits and confident his squad was stronger with them rather than selling either for a cut-price fee and replacing them in the last-possible window.

But, as was the case with the German and the Dutchman, the writing is growing increasingly visible on the wall for the Reds’ big-name forwards in particular.

Both players and Klopp will give the PR-approved right answers, of course, in the months ahead when asked about contracts. The generic desire to stay at Liverpool while insisting it’s not a distraction and his future is up to the club.

And while Salah’s status as one of the very best players in the world perhaps makes him an exception to an inevitable departure at this stage, even if it is currently looking increasingly likely, Firmino’s future remains the most uncertain. The Reds’ famous front three has already been broken up with his starting role wrestled away from him and Mane sold to Bayern Munich.

An attractive signing on a Bosman, as he enters these final 12 months of his contract the likes of Juventus and other elite clubs will be watching his situation with interest. These rumours linking him with an Old Lady swap deal might be nonsense but, with 365 days until his Liverpool contract expires, they signal the start of the Brazilian's long Anfield goodbye.

The Reds’ intentions might not yet be clear but, ultimately, the ball is in the club's court. It's easy to assume, having revamped their attack this year, the lack of movement regarding Firmino’s future means Liverpool are willing for the high-earning, soon-to-be 31-year-old to move next year.

And if Can and Wijnaldum’s own departures are anything to go by, Firmino has it all to do to avoid this seemingly inevitable exit.

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