Daniel Sturridge has told that Liverpool he wants to leave the club this month, according to several reports. Earlier, reports suggested the striker could be on his way to Italy but now the Mirror says he has told the club that he wants to join Sevilla.
Sturridge’s time at Anfield has been hampered by injuries but he has been fit for most of this season. However, he has failed to nail a regular place in Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI. It is very clear that Klopp prefers the attacking trio of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah ahead of the England international.
Such has been the form of the aforementioned triumvirate that Sturridge has been limited to just 5 Premier League starts this season. He has generally been out of form ever since an injury-ravaged 2014/15 campaign badly stalled his extremely promising career.
The £120,000-a-week striker is desperate to leave Anfield in January in search of regular football so that he can stake a claim for a place in England’s World Cup squad.
The report says that Sevilla are the new front-runners, who have seen a loan request get turned down. The Reds would only consider an offer for Sturridge if it contained an option for a permanent deal at the end of any loan period.
It reports that Liverpool want a transfer fee of around £25m but are prepared to write in a loan period with a guarantee of a payment in the summer. It is believed though that the 28-year-old has held talks with Liverpool’s top brass and has made it clear that he prefers Sevilla.
Klopp, however, will only give the green light for Sturridge’s departure if the funds from his potential sale are used to sign a replacement in the summer. Sevilla currently occupy 6th position in La Liga and are still adjusting to life under Vincenzo Montella, who replaced Eduardo Berizzo at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan last month.
As it remains, Sturridge’s stock has dropped over the past couple of seasons due to a combination of unfortunate injury problems and a change in management at Liverpool. The former Manchester City striker knows that his chances of going to the World Cup are very slim unless he can get regular football between now and the end of the season.
For making into Gareth Southgate’s squad, Sturridge is very much open to the idea of a change in environment and a move to Spain looks realistic.
