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Roberto Firmino has reportedly decided to leave Liverpool at the end of the season. The Brazilian was heading towards the end of his contract at Anfield and will not sign a new deal at the club.
As per Florian Plettenberg of Sky Germany, Firmino has informed Liverpool that he will not renew his contract. The forward has spoken directly to Jurgen Klopp and confirmed his decision.
The Brazilian moved to Anfield in 2015 from Hoffenheim for a reported £29 million fee. He has made 352 appearances for the club and scored 107 goals in all competitions in the last eight years.
His agent, Roger Wittmann, spoke to Sky Germany in February and said that his client's decision was close to being made. He said:
"It's a very long relationship between Roberto and L'pool. Roberto feels good. At the moment we're in a great exchange and in February we'll probably know where the journey is going. But Roberto also has to have a say in order to reach an agreement with L'pool. We're on the right track. We're having really good talks with L'pool. They're a superbly positioned club."
Klopp insisted that the signing of Cody Gakpo did not have any relation to Firmino's future and that the Reds are expected to sign another forward in the summer.
Liverpool were urged to keep Roberto Firmino
Former Liverpool captain Phil Thompson is a big fan of Roberto Firmino and urged the Reds to renew the forward's deal. He believed that the Brazilian was important to Klopp's side and wanted him to stay.
He told Off The Ball podcast:
"I would like to think so. Bobby Firmino has always been my favorite player for what he brings to the side, the intelligence, the high press - when to do it, when not to do it - this fella is so important to the side and it gives Jurgen Klopp a bit of a conundrum for the weekend."
Thompson added:
"How do you fit Bobby Firmino in? He's got to play Darwin Nunez, who scored in the last couple of games, but then Bobby can't play left, can't play right, so does he go 4-2-3-1 as he has in the last few games? Then you can see Bobby as a No.10, and he deserves to be in the team. Will Jurgen go to 4-3-3 and match up a little bit with Manchester City?"
Firmino has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.
