According to reports, Newcastle United and Liverpool, two other Premier League teams, are competing to acquire RB Salzburg forward Noah Okafor. The 22-year-old’s status in the Austrian Football Bundesliga is being monitored by the Magpies and Napoli, according to Italian publication Il Mattino (h/t HITC). Sky Germany has included Liverpool because Jurgen Klopp may be looking for a replacement for Roberto Firmino.
The Brazilian forward will leave as a free agent when his contract runs out this summer. Okafor is quickly emerging as one of the best up-and-coming strikers outside of the top five European leagues with 10 goals and 5 assists in 31 games for Salzburg.
The Switzerland international with 14 caps this season scored in each of his team’s first three UEFA Champions League games. He attended Basel’s youth academy in 2009, where he graduated.
After scoring seven goals and providing five assists in 54 senior games across competitions, Okafor transferred to Salzburg in January 2020. He could be major areas of strength for a for a club like Liverpool or Newcastle, where he can support their seat to a significant degree.
Okafor is not your typical No. 9. Similar to Reds striker Darwin Nunez, he likes to play to the left. Given that he may have trouble getting into the first team, it is unknown whether he will be willing to join the team at Anfield.
For the upcoming campaign, Klopp’s attack options include Mohamed Salah, Nunez, Cody Gakpo, and Diogo Jota.
“Emotional” about the idea of leaving Liverpool, according to Roberto Firmino.
Liverpool could be in the market this late spring to supplant apparently their most powerful player in the Jurgen Klopp period.
Roberto Firmino was the pivot of the Liverpool team that competed for the biggest trophies in club football for a number of years. He was one of the best false nines in contemporary football thanks to his selflessness, off-the-ball workrate, and creativity in the final third.
After eight seasons, the relationship between the Brazilian and the Reds will reach a conclusion. On April 9, the former Hoffenheim forward came off the bench to score a late equalizer in Arsenal’s 2-2 league draw.
Firmino spoke with ESPN Brasil following the game, citing Echo:
“I won’t say much about leaving Liverpool because I’d get emotional if I did. because it is a stunning legacy with a stunning past at such a large club. I am extremely content and thankful to God for everything we have constructed here. But I’ve never been in this situation before. It’s a new one for me.”
Firmino has played multiple times across rivalries under Klopp – somewhere multiple times more than some other player during the German’s spell on Merseyside.