Liverpool
Premier League • England
Liverpool agree £10m midfielder deal as Xabi Alonso beats Brentford to £25m Reds defender
Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes is negotiating the sale of Sepp van den Berg
Liverpool have finalised an agreement with RB Salzburg for the sale of midfielder Bobby Clark with a significant sell-on clause maximising their profit, TEAMtalk can reveal, while Brentford look like being squeezed out in the race for a Reds defender and with his asking price soaring to £25m.
The Merseysiders are yet to add to their squad themselves this summer, making Liverpool the only one of the 132 clubs in Europe’s top seven leagues not to make a signing so far in 2024. But with Arne Slot refusing to panic and insisting his squad remains blessed with a number of big-name talents, much of the focus so far this summer has been on streamlining the squad and moving on the stars who do not figure in the Dutchman’s immediate plans.
That said, progress is being made on a hugely exciting signing with the Reds on the cusp of agreeing a unique and brilliant future deal for one of the world’s best goalkeepers in Giorgi Marmadashvili.
In the meantime, more progress is being made on the departures front too and sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk the terms of the agreement that will see Reds midfielder Clark agree a reunion with former Reds assistant boss Pep Ljinders.
We can reveal that Clark has travelled to Austria for his medical at RB Salzburg on Tuesday ahead of finalising the transfer, which will net the Merseysiders an initial £10m.
Better yet, Liverpool chief Richard Hughes has also managed to negotiate a significant sell-on clause as part of the deal, with the Merseysiders including a sizeable 17.5 per cent sell-on clause over a future move.
The 19-year-old will now undergo his medical examination on Wednesday and is expected to sign a five-year deal with Salzburg.
Liverpool transfers: Reds to achieve shock price for Sepp van den Berg
Clark, who is the son of former Newcastle and Sunderland player Lee Clark, broke into the Liverpool side under Jurgen Klopp last season and impressed for the Reds when called upon.
The England youth international made 12 first-team appearances last season across all competitions and featured for Liverpool in their Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea at Wembley in February.
Clark, though, is understood to be have green lit the move to Salzburg in search of regular first-team football to continue his development.
Now the teenager is set to become the second young Liverpool player to make a permanent exit away from Anfield this summer following the departure of Fabio Carvalho to Brentford.
However, it is unlikely Clark will be the last and talks over the exit of Dutch defender Sepp van den Berg are starting to gather pace.
Indeed, Liverpool have not been short of interest in the 22-year-old this summer after he impressed while on loan with Mainz last season.
However, with the Merseysiders slapping a £20m price tag on their defender, the Bundesliga side were instantly priced out of a move to bring him back on a permanent deal.
There was interest from PSV Eindhoven too in his homeland, but their cheeky opening gambit worth a mere £10m was instantly batted away.
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And while the defender was unhappy at the price tag on his head, fearing their demands were denying him the chance of a move away, Liverpool’s patience now looks set to reap rewards.
According to trusted reporter David Ornstein, Van den Berg is closing on a move away from Anfield with Brentford among those considering an approach to sign him.
However, Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg claims the Bees’ planned move has been gazumped by Bayer Leverkusen, who are now in pole position to secure his signing.
He describes the interest from Xabi Alonso’s side as “concrete” and with Liverpool’s price now rising to £25m off the back of the growing interest in the centre-half.
Whether either side meet the new price remains to be seen, but with Leverkusen able to offer Champions League football and with Van den Berg no stranger to the Bundesliga, that move certainly looks the more favourable of the two right now.
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