Daniel Sturridge has asked Liverpool to let him leave this month, James Pearce reports in the Echo.
The striker, quite simply, doesn’t get in Jurgen Klopp’s best XI and hasn’t done for one and a half seasons, now – with the manager preferring Roberto Firmino as his first-choice striker option.
Sturridge was left out of the last England squad as a result of his diminished game time, proving that he needs first-team football to get back into Gareth Southgate’s plans for the World Cup.
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He’s a good option on the bench for Liverpool, but the club are happy to let him go, providing a potential suitor stumps up £30m for his services, Pearce writes.
This sounds a lot for a forward who has such perpetual injury problems, but considering the price of half decent attackers nowadays, it’s hardly unrealistic.
Everton just paid £26m for Cenk Tosun, a Turkish forward with an average goalscoring record who’s unproven in the Premier League – so we think few clubs might be interested.
West Ham seem to always want a new forward, while Southampton are flush with cash following the Virgil van Dijk sale and could do with Sturridge’s goal-threat, too.
Essentially, any side outside of the top six would likely be very happy with his services.
We’d like to see him head to Newcastle, although we’re not sure Rafa Benitez would be allowed to spend that kind of money.