Firmino in agent's 'first' after deciding to leave Liverpool

Stuart Telford

• 4 Mar 2023 16:32 GMT
• 3 min read

Robert Firmino will leave Liverpool on a free transfer at the end of the season, but his departure comes with a twist that his agent has never experienced.

Firmino confirmed recently that he would leave Liverpool after eight glittering seasons in which he won the Premier League and the Champions League.

Sky Germany reported that the Brazilian forward had a face-to-face meeting with Jurgen Klopp and stuck to his decision, even though the manager tried to talk him out of it.

READ: Roberto Firmino confirms Liverpool exit

La Liga pair Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have been credited with an interest in the forward, who formed a fabled front three with Mo Salah and Sadio Mane for much of his time in Anfield.

But Firmino, unusually for a player available on a Bosman, has nothing lined up!

Wittmann: 'first time in my life!'

"Our plan for the next couple of weeks - this is Robert's plan - is to show the manager and Liverpool the best version of him to say goodbye. This is what he wants to do," Firmino's agent Roger Wittmann told Football Insider.

"He has no clue what that means for him in the near future. He told us during the whole phase when we negotiated, 'I don't want to talk to anybody else, there's no need to do that.'

READ: 'Not just Firmino' - Romano reveals other Liverpool stars heading for exit

"This was the first time in my life he's a free agent player and he said there was no need to talk to others! So he's not motivated by other clubs or by financial terms - far from it."

Firmino joined Liverpool from Hoffenheim in a €41 million deal in January 2011, and has plundered 107 goals and 78 assists in 353 appearances in all competitions since.

Darwin Nunez's €100m arrival from Benfica last summer put pressure on Firmino's place in the side, but he has remained a key player at Anfield - and will be so until the end, with no distractions.