Scottish youth international Ben Doak is moving to Merseyside and will be eligible to play for Liverpool next season.
A little about the topic
The Reds are determined to win the race to sign a highly rated youngster from Celtic. The Scottish footballer, who has already played twice for the senior side of the Scottish giants, is ready to make a move to Merseyside, subject to a medical report, having turned down offers from a number of other clubs. Ben, the Scottish under-17 international who scored a hat-trick against Georgia earlier this week, will not be eligible to play for Liverpool until next season and will initially join the club’s academy anyway, but has been pictured on social media with jersey number 7 red on Thursday.
A little about Ben Doak
Born in Ayrshire, Ben worked his way up to the Celtic ranks and received his professional debut from Postecoglu as a substitute in January. Doak then made another cameo appearance against Old Firm rivals Rangers four days later, with sources suggesting Celtic wanted to convince him to sign a professional contract with the club on his 17th birthday in November.
The Reds had by then made their move and Ben meant an immediate sale on the idea of moving to Anfield despite interest from other clubs including Leeds and Chelsea. Liverpool will, after what sources have described as constructive and friendly talks, pay a six-figure compensation fee, understood to be around £600,000 to Celtic, with Ben likely to go straight to the club’s U18 setup to begin with.
Who else?
It is likely that Kirkby will be joined next season by Trent Kone-Doherty, a 15-year-old who currently plays with Derry City. The Reds are looking to secure a pre-contract deal with the Irish youth international, who turns 16 this summer. Liverpool remain looking to secure a deal to sign Fulham’s exciting attacking midfielder Carvalho, having failed to finalize that transfer on the last day of the January window.
The Reds are confident of agreeing a compensation levy with Fulham that would eliminate the need for a tribunal. Fabio Carvalho, who left his contract in June, is understood to be interested in a move to Anfield but keeps his options open amid strong interest from clubs across Europe.