Liverpool’s lofty £25m demands could scupper exit for struggling star

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It’s a difficult time to be Liverpool forward Daniel Sturridge, as his lack of playing time for the Reds this season will undoubtedly be a huge frustration.

The 28-year-old has made 14 appearances in all competitions so far this season, scoring three goals and providing three assists.

However, his last Premier League outing came on November 25, as he’s not been included in the last five match-day squads, while he was an unused substitute in the two games before that.

In turn, given he’ll be desperate for playing time with the World Cup in Russia next summer at the forefront of his mind too, he may well be forced to look elsewhere for a solution, such is the difficulty in breaking into the Liverpool line-up as an attacking player this season.

The quartet of Philippe Coutinho, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have been in stunning form, helping the Reds score 46 goals in 20 league games, the second-best goalscoring record in the top flight, with 12 coming in their last three outings.

As a result, it’s difficult to make a case for Jurgen Klopp to change things and bring Sturridge in, and that has led to speculation over his future with The Mirror reporting that he’s interested in a move to Southampton, but his £25m price-tag will be a problem for interested parties.

That’s a lot of money for a player who has struggled with injuries throughout his career and has not played a lot of football this season. With Charlie Austin out for two months, the saints can’t afford to splash out on a player who won’t feature prominently in his absence, with Liverpool uninterested in a loan exit.

Time will tell if a January exit materialises for Sturridge, as while it would certainly suit him, Liverpool clearly want a transfer fee that they believe is a fair representation of his value.

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