Daniel Sturridge could feature in the Europa League next season

Bengaluru, July 30: Turkish side Trabzonspor are close to signing former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge on a free transfer with intermediaries working in Turkey to discuss a potential move.

Sturridge moved from Chelsea to Liverpool for £13.5million in the 2013 January window and initially experienced the highest stat of his career under Brendon Rodgers.

But soon after Jurgen Klopp's arrival, the 29-year-old lost his first-team berth. The prolific partnership between front three Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane has demoted the English international as a fringe player at Anfield and last term he started just five times in all competition.

With first-team football hard to come by, the 29-year-old passed on the opportunity to sign a contract extension with the Kops and instead become a free agent.

The former Chelsea forward due to his vast experience of Premier League and having a good track record in English football, initially was linked over a move to Leicester City and Newcastle United but the latest reports have suggested that the forward is now a target of the Black Sea based side who have reportedly offered Sturridge a two-year deal with an option to extend by an additional season.

The England international reportedly has been offered a contract worth approximately €1.5-2m per-season and the deal would also include a sign-on fee.

Sturridge, however, is currently serving a ban for breaching the FA's betting rules but it will end on July 31, pending appeal, after which the 29-year-old could sign a contract with the side who finished fourth in the Turkish Super Lig last season and will compete in the Europa League in 2019/20.

The Turkish club after making their way in European football are busy in the transfer market acquiring some of the former talents of Premier League. They have already snapped up Sturridge's former Chelsea teammate John Obi Mikel after the Nigerian's spell with Middlesbrough while it is understood that the club are also in talks with the former Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham forward Emmanuel Adebayor, who has left Istanbul Basaksehir after two-and-a-half years in the Turkish capital.

Having fallen down the pecking order for both club and country, the England international is keen to resurrect his career away from the limelight.

Although, signing for a mid-table side of Turkey may be a level below his calibre but his transfer to far Europe can take off a lot of pressure from his shoulder and the forward can actually perform more freely which can be a blessing in disguise for him.