Liverpool star and club “simply belong together” – Player is so good, “he can play where he wants”

Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino should return to the Bundesliga this summer when he leaves Anfield on a free transfer.

That’s according to his long-term associate Lutz Pfannenstiel, who believes he would “shake things up again” back in the Bundesliga.

Firmino is set to leave Liverpool on a free transfer at the end of the season, having decided not to renew his deal with the Reds when it expires in June.

That will bring an end to a seven year stay with Liverpool, who he joined from Hoffenheim in July 2015 and has gone on to make 359 appearances in all competitions for to date, scoring 109 goals and registering 79 assists as well as playing a key role in their success under Jurgen Klopp.

Where he moves in the summer remains to be seen, with it currently looking unlikely he will remain in the Premier League and several European sides thought to be keen on his signature.

Pfannenstiel believes a return to the Bundesliga, where Firmino made 153 appearances for Hoffenheim earlier in his career, would make the most sense.

“In the Bundesliga he would shake things up again. Because that’s exactly the football he knows and loves,” he told T-Online.

“He’s a world-class footballer, 31 years old, and he can choose where he goes. Players like Firmino don’t normally come onto the market for free.

“Clearly Hoffenheim. Hoffenheim and Firmino simply belong together. Nevertheless, of course he has the quality, too to play for Dortmund or Bayern. Actually, he’s so good that he can play where he wants.

“It’s relatively obvious that he is associated with us. Just because of our common past in Hoffenheim. Of course, Roberto is a very interesting player, but the bottom line is that he is unrealistic for us (St. Louis).”