Premier League club join Liverpool in transfer race to sign 22-year-old star in the summer - Reports

Newcastle United have reportedly joined fellow Premier League club Liverpool in the race to sign RB Salzburg forward Noah Okafor.

According to Italian outlet Il Mattino (h/t HITC), the Magpies and Napoli are tracking the 22-year-old's situation in the Austrian Football Bundesliga. Sky Germany has thrown Liverpool's name into the equation as Jurgen Klopp could be on the lookout for Roberto Firmino's replacement.

The Brazilian forward's contract expires this summer and he will leave as a free agent. Okafor has 10 goals and five assists in 31 games for Salzburg and is fast making his name as one of the finest up-and-coming strikers outside the top five European leagues.

The 14-cap Switzerland international scored a goal in each of his team's first three UEFA Champions League games this season. He is a product of Basel's youth academy, which he joined in 2009.

Okafor left the Swiss giants in January 2020 for Salzburg after registering seven goals and five assists in 54 senior games across competitions. He could be a strong option for a club like Liverpool or Newcastle, where he can bolster their bench to a considerable extent.

Okafor isn't a conventional No. 9; he likes to play down the left channel, much like Reds striker Darwin Nunez. It remains to be seen if he will be open to joining the Anfield outfit knowing he could struggle for first-team starts.

Klopp has Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota, and Mohamed Salah as his options in attack for next season.

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Roberto Firmino 'emotional' about the thought of leaving Liverpool

Liverpool could be in the market this summer to replace arguably their most influential player in the Jurgen Klopp era.

For a number of years, Roberto Firmino was the fulcrum of the Liverpool team competing for the biggest trophies in club football. His selflessness, off-the-ball workrate and creativity in the final third made him one of the best false nines in modern football.

After eight seasons, the love affair between the Brazilian and the Reds will come to an end. The former Hoffenheim forward came off the bench to score a late equalizer in the 2-2 league draw against Arsenal on April 9.

Speaking after the game, an emotional Firmino told ESPN Brasil (h/t Echo):

"I won’t say much [on leaving Liverpool, because otherwise I’ll get emotional. Because it’s a beautiful legacy with a beautiful history, at such a big club. I’m very happy and grateful to God for everything we have built here. But it’s a new situation for me, I’ve never been through it."

Firmino has played 352 times across competitions under Klopp - at least 38 times more than any other player during the German's stint on Merseyside.