Fabrizio Romano backtracks on major Liverpool transfer claim, with Lionel Messi one of three deals to take centre stage first
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp
Fabrizio Romano has poured cold water on claims Roberto Firmino’s move to Barcelona is agreed, with the transfer guru instead claiming three different deals will take priority first.
Firmino, 31, will bring his eight-year stint on Merseyside to a close this summer. The Brazilian’s contract expires at season’s end and with a regular starting role now a distant memory, is understood to have been against signing a new deal.
Liverpool are already well stocked in the forward line with Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Mohammed Salah.
Harvey Elliott is a sixth option and was initially signed as a winger from Fulham. As such, Goal’s Neil Jones claimed a new frontman is not on Liverpool’s radar this summer.
However, today’s update regards Firmino and where he’ll play next. As a free agent, he certainly won’t lack for offers.
To that end, the Daily Mail recently reported Firmino had ‘agreed to join Barcelona’ once his contract expires.
The Spanish side have become synonymous with free agent coups in recent years owing to their well-documented financial strife.
The Mail’s report offered little by the way of details aside from claiming Firmino and Barcelona have struck an agreement. However, according to trusted journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Mail’s reporting is wide of the mark.
Romano debunks Firmino to Barcelona claims
Romano rowed back on the Mail’s claims, tweeting “there’s nothing agreed” between Barca and Firmino.
Furthermore, Romano stressed that while Firmino is on Barcelona’s radar and his name has been “discussed internally”, a move is “not even advanced”.
Firmino is deemed to still be exploring his options and is yet to reach a final decision on who he’ll join. Even if he does set his sights on the Camp Nou, Barcelona have more pressing irons in the fire.
Indeed, Romano concluded the club’s priorities this summer are moves for Athletic Bilbao centre-back Inigo Martinez, Man City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, and PSG forward Lionel Messi.
All three can conceivably be signed as free agents this summer. However, LaLiga president, Javier Tebas, recently insisted Barcelona won’t be able to register new players until they comply with the league’s stringent financial regulations.
“Barca must take many financial measures to undertake Messi’s registration,” said Tebas on Wednesday.
