Liverpool Striker Reportedly Rejects Big Money Move to Asia

Liverpool have announced their 25-man squad for their Premier League Asia Trophy excursion to Hong Kong, and unsurprisingly, Daniel Sturridge is part of that cohort. And though a Chinese Super League club is rumored to have put out feelers regarding a move for the Liverpool striker, it seems Sturridge will turn down the lure of cash and stay with Jürgen Klopp’s project.

According to the Mirror, Beijing Sinobo Guoan - who are presently coached by former Bayer Leverkusen manager Roger Schmidt - were hopeful of securing a deal for Sturridge before the closing of the Chinese Super League transfer window on Friday. Sturridge reportedly told the club he wasn’t interested in making the move, which put an end to that particular storyline.

There has been plenty of noise about Sturridge leaving Liverpool this summer. Despite the recent flurry of big-name players flying to China for astronomical sums, the circumstances don’t seem quite right for Sturridge to leave just yet. The absence of any concrete approaches for first team striking options - and no, those half-rumors about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Kylian Mbappé don’t count - means that Roberto Firmino, Sturridge, and Divock Origi are still the primary options at the pointy end of the spear (with Dominic Solanke as backup).

Klopp appears to be content with those options, and the club looks as though they are more intent on strengthening other areas of the squad. The question has always been whether or not Sturridge is satisfied with his role within that setup. Injuries or no, last season established that Sturridge is no longer an automatic first choice on any given matchday. With a European campaign on the cards, however, Sturridge may still feel there are plenty of minutes to fight for - and the end of the Chinese Super League rumors may indicate he’s not looking to go away soon.