Fulham are set to offer Roberto Firmino a route back into English football if he decides to leave Qatar amid the on-going conflict in the Middle East, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
The Cottagers are in the market for a new striker with Raul Jimenez likely to leave the club this summer, our sources have been told.
Despite turning 34 in October, Firmino remains in potent form for Al Sadd, having scored eight times in his last 19 appearances for the All-Stars League outfit.
Coupled with the 21 goals he netted for Al-Ahli during two seasons in Saudi Arabia before switching to the Gulf, the Brazilian has shown he still has plenty to offer on the pitch during the autumn of his career.
And, having been compared to Jimenez by the Mexican himself, that has prompted some members of the Londoners’ hierarchy to view him as a potential replacement for the one-time Club America protege if they call time on his stay in the capital.
Although Firmino, who excelled for Liverpool before leaving England in 2023, would only be a short-term fix, his similar metrics to Jimenez mean he would fit seamlessly into Fulham’s playing style until a long-term solution is identified.
Silva Future Muddying Transfer Waters
However, their interest in the Brazilian has been complicated by the fact Marco Silva’s own future remains shrouded in doubt with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur understood to feature among his army of admirers.
However, that has not stopped Fulham from planning for the future and, although Firmino is content to remain with the 18-time QASL champions, the opportunity of enjoying one final hurrah in the Premier League is likely to prove difficult to resist should Silva’s employers decide to firm up their interest.
Having graduated from Figueirense’s youth programme in his native Brazil, Firmino then headed to Hoffenheim where he was on target 49 times in 153 outings.
That record prompted Liverpool to sign him for £29m in 2015. He won seven major trophies, including one PL title, during his spell in the North-West.