Liverpool and Barcelona are reportedly considering a swap deal involving Bobby Firmino and Memphis Depay.
Both players are out of contract at their respective clubs at the end of the season and are yet to agree on fresh terms to extend their stays.
Firmino remains an important part of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side but with the Brazil international now the wrong side of 30, the German tactician may feel it’s time for the former Hoffenheim man to seek a new challenge.
Depay, meanwhile, was expected to leave the Catalan outfit earlier this summer following the arrival of Robert Lewandowski at Camp Nou, but the Dutchman instead remained in Spain and could be included as part of a swap deal with the Premier League side, that’s according to Somos Fanaticos (via Sports Mole).
With our No. 9’s contract edging towards its expiry, it would make sense to see his departure come as part of a swap deal rather than letting him leave for free at the end of the campaign.
You’d expect the La Liga giants to adpot a similar mindset about ex-Manchester United man Depay’s situation.
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It’s already clear this season that Firmino still offers a lot to the side but following the £64m signing of Darwin Nunez and the return to fitness of fan favourite Diogo Jota, you’d expect the Brazilian to see his game time limited in the coming months.
That’s not to say that the 30-year-old won’t play much football, but he will no longer be one of the first names on the team sheet as he so often has been since Klopp’s arrival at Anfield in 2015.
Depay struggled to settle in the Premier League when he signed for United from PSV Eindhoven in 2015 but after leaving the Old Trafford outfit two years later for Lyon, he enjoyed a successful four and a half year spell in Ligue 1.
He netted 76 goals and registered 56 assists in 178 appearances for the French outfit.
The 28-year-old has only featured three times for Barca this season and he may therefore feel that it’s time to seek yet another fresh start elsewhere – could Liverpool be the club that brings the best out of the talented forward?
The post Liverpool and Barcelona ‘considering’ swap deal that could see Bobby Firmino head to Camp Nou – report appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.
