12 March 2023 , 19:10
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Roberto Firmino is refusing to enter talks with other clubs ahead of leaving Liverpool this summer – and that stance may complicate Chelsea ’s attempts to sign Joao Felix permanently.
Firmino has decided not to extend his contract with the Reds and will walk away from Anfield at the end of this season. The 31-year-old was in talks over a new deal at the club but will not extend his stay and instead pursue a new challenge.
The Brazilian forward established himself as a club icon at Anfield across his eight seasons at the club, with his attitude and selflessness in that time summed up by how he sacrificed a lucrative goal bonus in order to ensure his teammate scored a goal.
There are likely to be no shortage of suitors for Firmino this summer with La Liga giants Atletico Madrid among them, as outlined by Diario AS. The Reds forward would theoretically replace the role of Felix in the squad – after the Portugal international joined Chelsea on a loan deal for the remainder of the campaign in January.
It is claimed that Marcus Thuram remains the prime attacking target for Atleti; the France international is, like Firmino, a free agent this summer as his deal at Borussia Monchengladbach expires. The club are said to be planning for the possibility that Felix joins Chelsea on a permanent basis.
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Felix joined the Spanish giants from Benfica in the summer of 2019 for a club-record £108million after enjoying a breakthrough season in Lisbon, bagging 20 goals and established himself as one of the hottest properties in European football.
Liverpool star Roberto Firmino is set to leave Anfield this summer (Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images)Have Your Say! Is Firmino a club legend for Liverpool? Tell us what you think here.
However, he has failed to replicate that form in the Spanish capital and he has never become a regular starter for Simeone’s side throughout his three-and-a-half years at the club. He has never scored more than 10 goals in any individual campaign.
This season has seen relations between the forward and boss Simeone deteriorate as Atletico continue to struggle for form. Felix has often cut a frustrated figure while watching on from the substitutes’ bench.
Having joined from Hoffenheim in 2015, Firmino has bagged 107 goals in 353 Liverpool appearances – forming a fearsome front three alongside Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. The arrivals of Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo in recent times have ushered in a period of transition.
Firmino’s agent, Roger Wittmann, has confirmed that despite indicating to the Reds his wish to leave this summer, he has not spoken to other clubs or planned his future for beyond the campaign.