According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool striker Firmino has agreed to join Saudi Pro League club Al Ainben on a free transfer.
Romano said Liverpool's fan favourite Firmino was about to join Al Ain.
The player has reached a full verbal deal with the Saudi Pro League club and the Brazil international will be signed as a free agent for three years, with a contract that runs until 2026. The 31-year-old will travel to Saudi Arabia for a medical check-up, pending the official announcement of the deal.
The Brazil international, whose contract has expired, sent a touching farewell to Liverpool fans at the end of last season. Firmino joined Liverpool from Hoffenheim in 2015 for £29 million, spending eight years at the club and becoming a fan favourite.
He scored 111 goals and assisted 79 times in 362 games for Liverpool, playing a major role in the formidable attacking trident with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. During Firmino's time, Liverpool won several honours including the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.
With the arrival of Ruiz Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Núñez and Diogo Jota, Firmino's status in the team gradually declined. Although Jürgen Klopp still wants to keep him at Anfield, Liverpool's top brass agreed to his departure and he is about to start a new chapter in Saudi Arabia.
Firmino had attracted interest from Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Galatasaray, but he decided to refuse to stay in Europe and join the ambitious Saudi Pro League because they did not hesitate to invest huge salaries to attract top players.
The former Hoffenheim player became the latest star to leave the Premier League to join the Gulf nations. After receiving a high-salary contract offer, Ngoro Kaente, Calidu Koulibaly and Ruben Neves have completed the transfer.
Saudi Arabia's newest club is joined not only by Roberto Firmino, but also by former Chelsea goalkeeper Eduar Mendy, who left after he was no longer needed at Chelsea.
Cristiano Ronaldo started this Saudi trend after moving to Alnasr, signing a high-paying contract. His former Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema followed, with Benzema joining defending champions Altihad.
Since then, the Saudi club has been actively seeking to sign talented and experienced players from Europe, including Riad Mahrez, Son Heung-min, Bernardo Silva, Marcelo Brozovic and Thomas Palte.
For Liverpool, it marked the end of a good era, with Sadio Mane leaving Anfield last summer and now Roberto Firmino following suit. Liverpool also released fringe players such as Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this summer.
There is no doubt that Liverpool's attack will miss Firmino's presence very much, and players such as Jota, Gakpo and Núñez will need to improve their performances and become more consistent stars in the upcoming 2023/24 season.