Reds set to bring Divock Origi to the club ahead of schedule.
Liverpool are all set to part with a fee in the region of £4.5 million to bring Belgian international striker Divock Origi to the club in the January transfer window, cutting short his loan spell with former club Lille in Ligue 1, according to reports from the Daily Star today.
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The Reds secured a permanent move for the teenage star in the summer, but they opted to allow Origi to spend another season on loan at Lille to continue his development, an arrangement that now looks as though it is going to be curtailed, with Liverpool struggling for firepower and Origi himself struggling to impress with the floundering French side.
Knocked out of the Europa League in the group stages by Everton and Vfl Wolfsburg, Lille are also perilously close to the Ligue 1 relegation zone and were knocked out of the Coup de la Ligue by Bordeaux this week, meaning that it has been a dire few months for the club, with Origi not managing to avoid the criticism – he was jeered by his own supporters in recent weeks after the club’s poor form in front of goal.
With Mario Balotelli, Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini struggling to provide either the goals or the all round play that is required of a Liverpool striker, however, it appears as though Brendan Rodgers is willing to take the risk of bringing Origi to Anfield and seeing if he can hit the ground running in the Premier League.