Author: Amrit Santlani
Liverpool star Roberto Firmino is expected to sign for La Liga giants Real Madrid as a free agent at the end of the season. The Brazilian striker is in the final months of his current contract and had already told Jurgen Klopp about his desire to seek a new challenge. Having played a key role in the Premier League giants’ revival in recent years, the club didn’t stand in Firmino’s way and, according to a report in Spanish newspaper El Naciona, Real Madrid are trying to secure the striker who is likely to be a short-term successor to Karim Benzema.
What makes Firmino special is that he’s very similar to Benzema in terms of his style of play, both of whom tend to play deep to start the game. The Frenchman is slowly heading towards the end of his career and, although the 35-year-old continues to score goals for fun, his current contract is due to expire at the end of the season.
It’s obvious that Benzema will extend his contract with Real Madrid, but the club is also planning for life after the departure of its star striker. Firmino, 31, still has a few years left at the top and the former Hoffenheim man recently scored Liverpool’s equalizer against Arsenal, showing that he still has a lot to offer.
Having joined the Merseyside club in the summer of 2015, Firmino became a key figure in Klopp’s pressing machine that would go on to win the Champions League and the Premier League title. The Brazilian striker moved into seventh place all-time for Liverpool in the Premier League, with 253 international caps to his name.
Such was Firmino’s impact during his time with the Premier League giants that former Liverpool striker John Aldridge said the club would miss him when he left.
Aldridge in his article for the Liverpool Echo: “It was a fantastic header from Bobby (vs Arsenal). We’ll miss him when he leaves. When he came on, he made the difference. He’s been great for the club.“