If a recent report from Sky Sports is believed to be true, Liverpool centre-forward Divock Origi has been shortlisted by Newcastle United along with the likes of Dominic Solanke, Patrick Schick, Chris Wood, Hugo Ekitike and Sardar Azmoun in order to resolve their striker conundrum this window.
However, the Reds are willing to retain his services for the remainder of the season following his re-emergence in recent months. According to Liverpool Echo, it would take a huge offer to test their resolve and consider the stance, and Newcastle must splash the cash to rope in the 26-year-old Belgium international.
The Magpies are second-last in the Premier League standings and have suffered a severe injury blow with Callum Wilson set to be sidelined for at least a couple of months. They won’t survive relegation with Dwight Gayle spearheading the attack, whereas Eddie Howe has converted Joelinton as a midfielder after a dreadful spell as an outright attacker. Allan Saint-Maximin is more effective down the wide and the necessity of a new ‘number 9’ needs to be addressed flexing their financial muscle.
Among all the names, Origi could be persuaded easily due to his limited playing minutes. The rest of the targets are integral to their respective sides and the Merseysiders must consider all possibilities if an offer is received in due time. The Belgian has fired in 5 goals and laid on 2 more in 10 outings across competitions – something that deserves acknowledgement given the majority of his appearances has been as a substitute. He could have had more gametime in recent weeks amid injuries, covid crisis and unavailabilities through AFCON, however, a muscular problem has kept him sidelined for around a month now.
Why Liverpool Should Retain His Services Unless A Significant Financial Profit
Meanwhile, Liverpool have Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota as the preferred attacking trio. Roberto Firmino has been rotated with the Portuguese high up the pitch and Jurgen Klopp has utilized both Origi and Takumi Minamino sporadically. He has tried out Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as a ‘False 9’ on a few occasions, but the Englishman did not look comfortable at all in that unusual role.
Although his current deal is set to expire this summer, Liverpool are likely to trigger the one-year extension in order to make money from his departure. He has already earned cult status among the fans for his late winners and the form he is in would help the Reds conquer silverware. The Merseyside giants must keep hold of him unless they receive an offer of more than £10m before the window is slammed shut.
