Liverpool looking to hijack Manchester United's move for Hoffenheim's Roberto Firmino

Liverpool are reportedly looking to hijack Manchester United's move for Hoffenheim midfielder Roberto Firmino.

According to the Mirror, the Reds have been monitoring the midfielder's situation and now with his agent Roger Witterman admitting that his client is moving to the Premier League in the summer, Brendan Rodgers is looking to outbid their arch rivals.

"All I can say is that he will go to England," Witterman said, when asked about his client's future following his participation in Copa America.

The Northern Irishman is looking to sign a goal scoring midfielder to cover for the loss of Steven Gerrard, who has left the club to join MLS side LA Galaxy, and has identified the Brazilian international as the perfect candidate to fill the void left by their former skipper.

Firmino has been impressive for the Bundesliga club and contributed with 10 goals and 12 assists to help Hoffenheim to a credible eighth place in the league last season.

The Red Devils were believed to be leading the race for the Brazilian, with reports suggesting that talks were at an advanced stage with a deal being on the verge of agreement for a fee of around £17.8m ($28.3m).

Louis van Gaal is keen to add more attacking prowess to his team after the 20-time English champions struggled to score goals at various points during the recently concluded campaign, and Firmino's ability to contribute with goals and assists has prompted the Dutchman to make him a priority this summer.

Manchester City have also shown interest in signing the midfielder in the past and could enter the race after the Etihad Stadium outfit's CEO Khaldoon Al Mubarak admitted that the club were willing to splash the cash to get back to the top of the pile in the England and Europe.