Liverpool still wouldn’t be willing to re-sign Ozan Kabak even if the defender is available on a free transfer this summer, according to the Echo.
Bundesliga journalist Constantin Eckner detailed that Schalke may even terminate the centre-back’s contract as they can’t afford his wages in a podcast made exclusively for the Echo’s Blood Red Club.
Kabak spent the second-half of last season on loan with Liverpool but the Reds rejected the chance to sign the ace permanently, with Jurgen Klopp’s side boosting their defence with Ibrahima Konate instead.
The Anfield outfit also have their top three centre-backs – Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip – returning from injury as well so the Echo add that a free swoop for Kabak wouldn’t even be considered.
Schalke will obviously need to cut costs after their shock relegation from the Bundesliga last season but releasing a talented 21-year-old like Kabak would seem like a very desperate move.
Eckner shed some light on the tricky situation that Kabak has found himself in:
“Kabak was set to return to training with Schalke after his holidays after the Euros but they told him to have more days off to find a new club.”
“He has the right to train if he wants to, but there is no point! It is a really weird situation.”
“The first thought a couple of months ago was that he would stay with Liverpool – they were not the worst six months in his career and he did a decent job, playing alongside Nat Phillips and all the rest of the stuff going on with the defence.”
“But after they signed Konate, there was probably no way they would sign Kabak as well at this point with three first-choice defenders returning.”
“The next thought was that he could go to Leicester because Brendan Rodgers plays a back-three and they have four first-rate defenders and adding one more was reasonable. But negotiations went nowhere.”
“Then Schalke were in talks with Crystal Palace, who have then signed Joachim Andersen from Lyon for €27m – so he’s probably not going to Palace any more.”
“Clubs are interested but then they find someone else who is more compelling and Kabak is still outside on the street in the rain.”
Eckner even shockingly reported that Schalke are considering releasing the centre-back:
“Schalke might even terminate his contract before the end of August so he has time to find a new club.”
“But it’s really weird to have someone like him on the market and begging for a club. It’s not like he’s trying to join Real Madrid or something!”
Kabak doesn’t appear to have any proposals on the table either as talks regarding what would’ve been a brilliant transfer to Leicester ‘went nowhere’ and Crystal Palace turned their attention to someone else.
The Turkey international made 13 appearances for the Reds during his loan spell and showed a decent account of himself and you’d think that a young centre-back like that would’ve been snapped up by now.