Galatasaray closing in on signing Roberto Firmino

Long-serving Liverpool stalwart Roberto Firmino is reportedly on the brink of swapping the Premier League for the Turkish Super Lig.

Barcelona and Napoli were said to be going head-to-head to sign the Brazilian forward, whose deal at Anfield expires at the end of the season.

However, as far as Firmino is concerned, both sides may have to settle for winning their domestic league titles, as he seems to have other plans.

According to Turkish source Sportcell, the 31-year-old is close to signing a pre-contract agreement with Super Lig powerhouse Galatasaray, with only finals missing.

For years, the 22-time Turkish champions have provided safe shelter for football stars with either declining careers or entering their twilight years, and Firmino fits the bill.

Only last summer, Juan Mata left Manchester United to move to Istanbul, with the likes of Mauro Icardi, Dries Mertens, Milot Rashica and Lucas Torreira, among others, following in the Spaniards’ footsteps.

Galatasaray raised the bar during the winter transfer window as they overcame stiff competition from AC Milan and several Premier League clubs to sign Nicolo Zaniolo from Roma.

But the Turkish giants have no intention of putting the brakes on their recruitment spree as they aim to bring Firmino to the expensively-assembled cast at the Nef Stadium.

Despite tumbling down the pecking order at Liverpool this season, the ex-TSG Hoffenheim star is still a world-class player and could be a difference-maker in Turkey’s top flight.

Galatasaray’s aggressive recruitment campaigns in the last two transfer windows have helped the club re-establish themselves as leading title candidates following a woeful 2021/22 season.

After an underwhelming 13th-place finish last term, Okan Buruk’s men are close to regaining domestic supremacy as they hold a six-point lead at the summit with seven games left.

With Champions League football on the cards, they’ll have an added incentive to convince Firmino to ditch Barcelona and Napoli in favour of Istanbul.