Serie A club willing to part ways with Chelsea target and sign Liverpool's Roberto Firmino as his replacement - Reports
Serie A outfit AS Roma are reportedly contemplating parting ways with Chelsea target Tammy Abraham and bring in Liverpool ace Roberto Firmino as a free agent.
According to Calciomercato.com, Abraham, who scored in the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final last season, has dropped down the pecking order in Rome. The Englishman has scored only seven times in 36 appearances across competitions this season and no longer has manager Jose Mourinho’s unwavering trust.
It has been reported that Abraham wants to return to the Premier League, and Roma are prepared to sell him for around €40-45 million. Chelsea, who sold Abraham to Roma for a similar fee in 2021, are interested in bringing the striker back amidst their scoring woes. There's an €80 million purchase clause in Abraham’s contract — a sum significantly higher than Roma’s asking price.
As per the aforementioned report, if Chelsea want to bring Abraham back to Stamford Bridge, they will have the edge in negotiations. It's believed that they could use Romelu Lukaku, whose future is up in the air, as a bargaining chip to get Abraham. The 25-year-old, though, is not Chelsea’s primary target, as the Blues have their eyes set on Napoli hitman Victor Osimhen.
Apart from Chelsea, Aston Villa are the other Premier League club interested in Abraham. The England international has played for the Villans before, scoring 26 times in 40 games in the 2018-19 season.
With Abraham seemingly heading towards a summer exit, Roma have their eyes on Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha and Liverpool’s Firmino. Both will be out of contract in June, making it a financially viable move for Roma.
Firmino has been in decent form for Liverpool this season. The Brazilian has played 29 times across competitions, scoring ten times and providing five assists. The Brazilian has featured in 356 games for the Reds since arriving in 2015, scoring 108 times and claiming 79 assists.
Liverpool will not trigger Arthur Melo’s purchase option
Jurgen Klopp’s side brought Arthur Melo on loan from Juventus last summer, hoping to add depth to their midfield. Unfortunately, the Brazilian has not lived up to expectations, spending time on the touchline due to injuries.
Acclaimed transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the inevitable, saying that the Reds will not activate Arthur’s purchase option:
“Arthur Melo will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, as expected — he’s returning to Juventus. Buy option clause won’t be triggered.”
The former Barcelona player has only played four games for the Merseysiders this season, with two of them coming for the U21 team in Premier League 2. The Brazil international is yet to makehis first Premier League debut for the Reds.