Liverpool are on the verge of completing yet another sale during a summer transfer window which has already seen a number of notable exits from Anfield.
In the forward line alone, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez have departed for Bayern Munich and Al-Hilal respectively, and another Reds attacker could be set to cut his ties with the Merseyside club permanently.
Liverpool set to cash in on Ben Doak
On Monday morning, The Athletic‘s James Pearce reported that Bournemouth are about to sign Ben Doak in a £25m deal.
The transfer is ‘expected to go through’ today after the exit-bound Liverpool winger underwent a medical yesterday, with Andoni Iraola’s side having won the race for his signature ahead of several other Premier League clubs.
The Scotland international – who turns 20 in November – joined the Reds from Celtic in March 2022 for a mere £600,000.
Another astute sale from Liverpool
Doak’s departure will lessen Arne Slot’s attacking options even more at a time when there are already concerns over a lack of depth in the final third of the pitch, but it’s hard to argue with a fee of £25m for a player who made just 10 competitive appearances for Liverpool’s first team.
The teenager had looked impressive during the pre-season win over Athletic Bilbao at Anfield a fortnight ago, scoring in the 4-1 victory that evening, but he didn’t make it off the bench in the Community Shield and wasn’t even in the matchday squad on Friday night against the club he’s now set to join.
The money that the Reds will bank from the youngster’s exit could be put towards bridging the gap between our initial offer for Alexander Isak and what Newcastle would demand as a minimum if they’re to sell the striker, although they seem resolute in their determination not to cash in this month.
Doak’s imminent sale is yet another example of Liverpool’s remarkable ability to command handsome fees for talented players who never quite manage to establish themselves on Merseyside, following on from the £50m+ for which they sold Fabio Carvalho and Sepp van den Berg to Brentford a year ago.
The £23.5m reaped from Rhian Brewster’s move to Sheffield United, and the £15m from Jordon Ibe going to Bournemouth, also spring to mind.
We wish the young Scot every success at the Vitality Stadium and hope he goes on to have a hugely fulfilling career. Just don’t score on your return to Anfield, mate!