Liverpool will reportedly sign teen striker Dominic Solanke from Chelsea as the youngster looks to move out of Stamford Bridge.
According to a report by The Guardian, Liverpool are likely to sign 19-year-old Dominic Solanke from Chelsea after beating several Premier League and European clubs to a deal for the promising striker.
The teen star is understood to have agreed terms with Liverpool after refusing to sign a contract extension at Stamford Bridge citing a lack of opportunities.
His current deal will expire this summer but since he is only 19, Liverpool will have to pay Chelsea a compensation fee which is to be decided by a tribunal. The fee is estimated to be about £2million-£3million.
Solanke has registered impressive goal-scoring numbers for Chelsea’s youth teams and also represented England till the under-21 level. He also spent the 2015-16 season on loan at Vitesse Arnhem, where he managed to score seven goals in 25 appearances.
The young striker has been trying to make his way up through the ranks at Stamford Bridge as he attempted at breaking into the first team. The striker has made only one first team appearance for the Blues though.
The youngster has scored 24 goals in 48 games for England across various youth levels, and has an abundance of talent in front of the goal. Liverpool will be looking to ensure Solanke lives up to his potential at Anfield after enduring disappointment in his quest to play first team football at Chelsea.
The 19-year-old is likely to do well at Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp’s watchful eye. Klopp will most probably deploy Solanke in Liverpool’s under-23 team initially as he looks to nurture a group of young talent like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben Woodburn and Harry Wilson.
Doing so will create more competition among the first team members and also allow the manager more options as far as player rotation is concerned since Liverpool will have Champions League commitments to take into consideration next season.
The striker’s refusal to sign a new contract with Chelsea made several clubs take notice of Solanke’s availability. However, it looks like Liverpool are poised to emerge as the winner. The 19-year-old also received offers from Red Bull Leipzig and Celtic, who looked at him as a potential replacement for Moussa Dembélé.
Another player expected to leave Chelsea is goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, who has reportedly agreed to move to Bournemouth for an estimated £15million. Star striker Diego Costa’s future is also uncertain as rumours are abuzz of him making a move out of Stamford Bridge.
