AC Milan to Offer Escape Route to Liverpool's Out-of-Favour Striker Daniel Sturridge

Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge could be offered the chance to leave England for Italy after having almost spent five years on Merseyside.

Moving from Chelsea to Liverpool for £13.5m in the 2013 January window, Sturridge proved to be a prolific forward and left the Blues feeling; well, Blue. 

However, in recent years the 28-year-old has struggled for fitness and is no longer the leading forward at the club.

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According to The Guardian, AC Milan have registered their interest in Sturridge, as summer signing Nikola Kalinic has failed to make an impact at the San Siro thus far. 

With the Italians spending in excess of £150m this summer, they've struggled for goals compared to league frontrunners Napoli [34] and Juventus [37] in particular.

Having scored 50 Premier League goals for Liverpool in just 97 appearances, Sturridge averages a goal every two games. However, Roberto Firmino's importance to the side has seen Sturridge's role restricted to a rotation player and impact sub - as demonstrated by his goals against Huddersfield and Maribor recently.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is adamant that Sturridge remains important to the squad and that he won't be sold, saying: 

"I can imagine actually that a player with these qualities is not happy he is not starting all the time. I really can imagine that. But that’s all. At the moment we need all our players.”

While Klopp isn't willing to let Sturridge go, he will want to make an impression on Gareth Southgate ahead of the World Cup in Russia. 

Fitness will always remain a question for the striker, particularly since under Klopp's tenure, Sturridge has only started three games in a row twice. When he's fit and in-form though, he simply is a force to be reckoned with and one that Liverpool fans would be sad to see go.