La Liga side express interest in snapping up departing Liverpool forward Divock Origi - reports
Villarreal have expressed an interest in signing Liverpool forward Divock Origi, according to Marca.
The Belgian international is set to leave Anfield this summer when his contract expires, having scored six goals and provided four assists in his 18 appearances across the current campaign.
Origi will go down in Liverpool folklore, having scored some of the most important goals in the club's recent history, including in the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona in 2019, as well as the subsequent final versus Tottenham Hotspur.
The 27-year-old has won every major team honor available to him since his arrival at the Merseyside club in 2014. The Belgian forward was given a hero's farewell at Anfield following his team's final Premier League game of the campaign against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Pedro Parra has since informed Fichajes.com (via Marca) that Villarreal are interested in signing the Belgian international, with the Champions League semi-finalists looking to improve their attack after finishing seventh in La Liga.
The Yellow Submarine's last-ditch attempt to sign the forward comes two weeks after The Athletic reported that Serie A champions AC Milan had agreed personal terms with Origi, who failed to start a Premier League game across the entire campaign.
Divock Origi bids emotional farewell ahead of Liverpool departure
The Anfield hero said his goodbyes before leaving Anfield in search of first-team football on a free transfer this summer.
Origi has failed to ever nail-down a starting place in Jurgen Klopp's side ever since his arrival, with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane way ahead of him in the pecking order.
The arrival of Fulham starlet Fabio Carvalho seems to be a direct replacement for Origi, who was given a guard of honor by his teammates in his final appearance in front of the Kop.
Following Liverpool's Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in Paris, Origi took to Twitter to post the following:
"It was a special journey @LFC, YNWA"
A move to Milan may give the forward the first-team opportunities that he craves, with ageing forwards Olivier Giroud and Zlatan Ibrahimovich their current frontline.
According to The Mirror, Klopp heaped praise on Origi following the announcement of the player's imminent departure, as the German boss said:
"Divock Origi, the legend, finished it off and it's a great story."
"He's an incredible striker. For different reasons he did not play that often, but I hope one day he finds a manager that plays him more than I do."