Liverpool’s opening-day clash with Bournemouth tonight has taken an unexpected twist, with 19-year-old winger Ben Doak being withdrawn from the matchday squad as he closes in on a transfer, likely to the very club Liverpool are facing.
According to Paul Joyce, Bournemouth are pushing to finalise a £25 million deal for the Scottish talent, who joined Liverpool from Celtic in 2022. The fee would represent a major profit for the Reds, though it remains to be seen whether they will include a buy-back clause, given Doak’s high rating inside the club.
Doak’s Liverpool career so far has been a mix of promise and frustration. He has featured ten times for the senior side, and last season impressed on loan at Middlesbrough with 10 goal contributions in 24 appearances before a hamstring injury cut his campaign short. His pace and direct dribbling have earned admirers from West Ham, Rangers, and even a Celtic return, but Bournemouth now appear to have won the race.
If the deal is completed quickly, Doak could find himself watching tonight’s match from the stands as a soon-to-be Bournemouth player, with his current and future clubs going head-to-head at Anfield.
The move also comes at a time when Liverpool are finalising the arrival of Giovanni Leoni from Parma and remain active in the market for both Marc Guehi and Alexander Isak. The £25 million from Doak’s sale could help fund those pursuits as Arne Slot looks to strengthen a squad already reshaped by high-profile arrivals such as Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, and Jeremie Frimpong.
If Liverpool do include a buy-back clause, it could set up the possibility of Doak returning in the future, potentially as a more polished, Premier League-proven winger. For now, the focus is on a big-money move to Bournemouth and what it means for the final two weeks of the transfer window.
