It looks like Daniel Sturridge’s time at Liverpool is coming to an end.
According to The Liverpool Echo, the club are prepared to accept a bid of £30m for the player, who is ready to leave Liverpool to help his chances of playing at the World Cup this summer. The report claims that Sturridge has told the club that he wants to leave this month in search of first-team football.
Jurgen Klopp would prefer to keep him for the remainder of the season, but Liverpool are prepared to let the 28-year-old go if they recieve an offer that matches their valuation of the striker.
The report claims that Liverpool aren’t willing to let Sturridge leave on a loan deal. But, if they can’t sell him, and they receive a loan offer with a “hefty” fee towards the end of the transfer window, they may change their position. Southampton and West Ham are said to be among the Premier League clubs interested in the former Manchester City striker, who doesn’t appear to be in Klopp’s plans. Roberto Firmino is Liverpool’s first-choice to start up-front, and the club signed Dominic Solanke from Chelsea last summer.
Sturridge joined Liverpool from Chelsea for £12m back in January 2013, and was a prolific goal scorer during his first season and a half at Anfield. Between January 2013 and May 2014, the striker scored 35 goals, helping his side mount an unlikely title challenge in his first full season with the club. However, Sturridge has been held back by injury and fitness issues since then, and has only scored 28 goals since May 2014.
Even when fully fit and injury-free, as he has been for spells of the current season, Sturridge doesn’t appear to be a natural fit for Klopp’s high-pressing style. He has made only nine appearances in the Premier League so far this season.
However, he remains one of the best finishers in the division, and Liverpool reportedly feel that their £30m asking price is “fair” in the current market. West Ham would most likely need to sell Javier Hernandez before they can submit an offer for Sturridge.
