Bobby Clark and Sepp van den Berg aren’t the only players that could leave Liverpool before the deadline.
With deadline day quickly approaching, Liverpool is finally starting to speed up their transfer activities. Although the Reds are the only club in Europe’s top five leagues that has yet to add to their roster this summer, Richard Hughes and his crew have been busy securing lucrative moves away from Anfield for some of the club’s rising players.
Bobby Clark, a midfielder, is the latest player to confirm his departure after joining Red Bull Salzburg for £10 million. The 19-year-old, who joined Liverpool from Newcastle United for £1.5 million in 2021, is likely to rejoin with Pep Lijnders in Austria, with the former Reds assistant manager believed to have played a key role in facilitating the transfer.
In addition to obtaining a lucrative transfer fee for Clark, Liverpool have negotiated a 17.5% sell-on clause and a matching rights deal if the 19-year-old leaves Salzburg. His departure comes after Fabio Carvalho left Liverpool last week to join Brentford for a sum that could reach £27.5 million.
While the perceived culling of some of Liverpool’s periphery players may have surprised some fans, the money generated by Clark and Carvalho’s departures could assist the club in the long run by placing some more cash in Liverpool’s transfer coffers. The aforementioned trio are not the only players who may seek new pastures this summer; several other members of Arne Slot’s side are also anticipated to go before next Friday’s deadline.
Sepp van den Berg, who joined Liverpool for £4.4 million from Eredivisie club PEC Zwolle in 2019, has joined Carvalho at Brentford, with the west London club agreeing in principle to recruit the defender for £25 million plus £5 million in add-ons. Van den Berg had also piqued the curiosity of German champions Bayer Leverkusen after excelling on loan at Mainz the previous season.
Given that he has never played in the Premier League for Liverpool, the cost is quite astonishing.
In other news, Portsmouth are close to signing forward Harvey Blair on a permanent basis after agreeing a £300,000 agreement with the Reds.
While Blair’s fee is low in comparison to the salaries being rumored for some of his teammates, the fact that the kid has only one year left on his contract and has primarily played academy games throughout his time on Merseyside makes it a decent deal for all sides.
Despite the fact that the trade fell through, Gomez’s future remains uncertain, with the England international missing Liverpool’s Premier League opener against Ipswich Town last weekend. The Reds have claimed that he is still a valuable member of the group at the AXA Training Centre and might be in contention for Sunday’s visit from Brentford, but if he leaves this summer, the club will undoubtedly benefit financially.
Tyler Morton and Nat Phillips are two players that are almost certainly leaving on a permanent basis within the next week. Morton has impressed on loan with Championship teams Blackburn Rovers and Hull City and is valued at £20 million, while Phillips has sparked interest in Turkey and the Championship this summer.
A number of other young players are anticipated to move on loan, but Liverpool may be persuaded to sign permanent agreements if reasonable offers come in. Ben Doak, valued at £10 million, and Owen Beck, a left-back, have both been connected with permanent moves away, while Kaide Gordon, James McConnell, Calum Scanlon, and Marcelo Pitaluga are all expected to make temporary moves away from Anfield.
Stefan Bajcetic, who excelled for the first team in 2021/22, has been linked with a loan move this summer, and was sidelined for much of the season due to injury. Given that Liverpool have yet to sign a defensive midfielder following the failure of Martin Zubimendi’s signing from Real Sociedad, it may be sensible to keep the 19-year-old, though he might benefit from regular game time after being out of action for so long.
Wataru Endo, who received a £11.8 million bid from Marseille earlier this summer, might also be a surprise late exit. While it is doubtful that the Japan international will be permitted to leave Merseyside, this might change if Liverpool makes a bid to sign a No.6 before next Friday.
