ESPN FC pundit Paul Mariner believes that Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino would be the ideal replacement for Luis Suarez at Barcelona.
Firmino has become a crucial element to Klopp’s side and lays the carpet perfectly for players like Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah to shine. The Liverpool striker is not afraid of paving the way for others to be in the spotlight rather than himself which is perhaps what makes him so admirable.
Suarez, who joined the Catalan giants from the Reds in 2014, has been hugely successful in Spain scoring an impressive 168 goals from 230 appearances for La Blaugrana in all competitions. This season he’s managed to rack up 15 goals in 22 appearances, despite many people believing his ability is decreasing with age.
With Suarez turning 32 this January, there have been countless reports stating Barcelona are on the lookout for a potential replacement for the Uruguay international. Mariner believes the La Liga front-runners need look no further than Firmino.
The Daily Star quoted the pundit, saying: “I know that I will upset all of the Liverpool fans, but just look at what he does. Just look at some of his link up play and I think that would be perfect for Barcelona.
“I know Coutinho hasn’t done it at Barca but Firmino is a different player. Firmino does it all for me. He is tremendous.”
Barcelona were rumoured to have been interested in the Brazilian last October as they too thought he would complement Lionel Messi perfectly. However, Liverpool’s number nine recently signed a long-term contract with the club so any transfer would likely cost the Spanish champions a massive transfer figure.