Liverpool are continuing talks with Red Bull Salzburg over the sale of midfielder Bobby Clarke after the Austrian side saw another bid rejected – but the move looks increasingly likely to go ahead with Leeds among a number of Championship sides set to miss out.
Clark, the son of former Newcastle, Fulham and Sunderland midfielder Lee Clark, joined Liverpool’s academy in the summer of 2021 after the Reds agreed to pay the Magpies a development fee of around £1.5m for his services. Clark signed a five-year contract at Anfield shortly after his 17th birthday in February 2022 and is tied to the Merseysiders until the summer of 2028 after extending his stay with a new deal last December.
But with competition for first-team places stronger than ever at Liverpool, Clark – still just 19 – has been restricted to just 14 senior appearances for the Reds, although only five of those have come in the Premier League.
With a change of manager at Anfield in the summer, Clark may have hoped his luck would improve. But after missing all of Liverpool’s pre-season games with a back injury, Arne Slot has now given the go ahead for the teenage midfielder to leave Anfield.
A number of Championship sides have been linked with his signature, with Leeds, Norwich, Coventry and Sheffield United all expressing an interest in signing the player on a season-long loan.
However, Sloto have now decided to move the midfielder on a permanent basis, and negotiations over his sale to Austrian champions RB Salzburg are still ongoing.
According to trusted Liverpool reporter James Pearce, Liverpool rejected Salzburg’s second €9.6m (£8.2m) bid for Clarke on Monday, with the Austrian’s initial bid of just €7m (6 million pounds).
Transfers to Liverpool: Talks continue to sell midfielder
Indeed, sources have told TEAMtalk that the Reds value Clarke at around €14.1m (£12m) and that talks about a compromise between the Reds and Salzburg are continuing in the hope of finding a solution.
Clark is open to a move, however, as he believes a move to Salzburg – who will face FC Twente, who are leading 2-1 from the first leg, in the third round of Champions League qualifying on Tuesday – could benefit his career.
The Austrian champions have certainly cultivated some serious talent in recent years, with Sadio Mane, Naby Keita, Erling Haaland, Dominik Szoboszlai, Dayot Upamecano, Marcel Sabitzer and Benjamin Sesko among the big stars they have developed in recent years.
And with the possibility of playing UCL football on the agenda, Clark is understood to be keen on a switch, which would naturally also link him with former Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders after he was appointed earlier this summer.
The move will see the likes of Leeds left out, although TEAMtalk understands the Whites were only looking at loaning the teenager to the Merseysiders as they looked to cover the losses of Archie Gray and Glen Kamara from midfield.
Per Pearce, “discussions between the clubs are ongoing” and Salzburg “retains hope that a compromise can be reached.”
Clarke’s departure will follow that of Fabio Carvalho, who joined Brentford on Monday, while Sepp van den Berg, Ben Doak, Kaide Gordon and James McConnell are all in talks to leave.
It remains to be seen whether Liverpool intend to include a future sales percentage in Clarke’s deal – as they did with Carvalho – while a buyout option cannot be ruled out either.
However, the player’s departure will be noted by former boss Klopp, who told Amazon Prime in December 2022 that Clark is “another household name in England and the lad is a really good player too”.