According to financial details from the Athletic’s reliable Liverpool correspondent James Pearce, Liverpool have managed to sign Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies for a guaranteed fee of just £1.5m.
Davies emerged as a concrete transfer target whilst the Reds got back to their best against West Ham on Sunday, with the 25-year-old the first to be recruited, joining from Championship side Preston.
The Athletic (subscription required) report that of the £1.6m transfer fee agreed for Davies, just £500,000 is guaranteed, with the rest in add-ons related to appearances and the Reds’ success.
Davies was available for such a cut-price sum due to him being in the final six months of his contract, a pre-contract move to Celtic beckoned before Liverpool stormed in, the Reds also offered the Deepdale outfit their own talent Sepp van den Berg on a free loan until the end of the season at least.
On the Kabak front, Pearce reports that the Premier League champions are paying an initial fee of just £500,000 to take the highly-rated centre-back on a loan-to-buy deal.
Pearce’s findings suggest a much lower fee than was claimed by insider Fabrizio Romano and other reporters, who stated the loan fee for the 20-year-old would be around €2.5m.
See More: Ben Davies deletes savage ‘nobody likes Scousers’ tweet ahead of Liverpool transfer from Preston
Few more details on Ben Davies’ move to #LFC. £500k up front with rest in add-ons linked to appearances/team achievements. Also an England appearance clause. Preston have 1st option on Van den Berg for next season if he plays certain % of remaining games.https://t.co/jIlFMPqz5L
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) February 1, 2021
#LFC will pay a loan fee of £1m for Kabak with a potential £500,000 bonus to follow linked to appearances. The option to buy in the summer is £18m plus add-ons. Doesn’t need to be activated until June.
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) February 1, 2021
It’s absolutely remarkable that recruitment chief Michael Edwards and Co. have managed to strike deals that require such a minimal guaranteed payment.
Kabak is undoubtedly the more notable coup, the Turkish international has demonstrated that he’s a potential star in the making with his encouraging displays in the Bundesliga over the last two years.
Even the deal for Davies, despite being in the final six months of his contract, is incredibly low-cost, let’s not forget most of the Preston academy graduate’s outings came in the Championship – which many would argue is much more competitive than some of Europe’s top five leagues.
Jurgen Klopp landed two much-needed recruits at the perfect time, the Reds remained coy on transfer links for months just to settle their business out of nowhere on Deadline Day.
With news that Joel Matip is now to be sidelined for the rest of the season, joining Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez on the long-term injury list – Kabak and Davies are additions that the Reds absolutely needed.
Whoever this fabranzorooo romainer reporter is… Not got a clue like the rest of you!!! Klopp/Edwards masterclass strikes again