Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign rising Scotland star Calvin Ramsay.
The Reds will pay Aberdeen a fixed fee of just over £4m for the 18 year old, with a further £1.5m agreed in appearance-related bonus payments. Jurgen Klopp is a big admirer of the teenager who made 33 appearances for the Dons in his breakthrough season, and was voted the Scottish Football Writers’ Young Player of the Year.
Ramsay joins Darwin Nunez and Fabio Carvalho as Liverpool ’s three signings of a busy summer which could mean, with potential bonus payments, a total outlay of close to £100m for players Klopp sees as the stars of the future. And the arrival of Ramsay will conclude Liverpool’s incoming activity this summer, with Klopp happy that he has secured his main targets in this window.
The Reds had been in the market for a midfielder, and made a firm offer for Monaco’s Aurélien Tchouameni, but the France international chose instead to join Real Madrid in a £60m deal. And that will see Klopp wait until the summer of 2023 to make the midfield signing he would like, with the manager prepared to hang on to get the right profile in the player he is waiting for.
Klopp has long been linked with England international Jude Bellingham, and is a big admirer of the 18 year old, but after selling Erling Haaland this summer, his club Borussia Dortmund have made it clear they will not sanction another high profile transfer this summer, with the teenager told he must wait another year for a potential move.
Klopp has shown in the past he is prepared to wait for the right target rather than rush into a deal he is unsure about. He is keen on Ramsay though, and the player is likely to travel to Merseyside this weekend for a medical, before completing his move next week.
The Scotland U21 international broke into the Aberdeen first team last season, and scored one goal and provided nine assists from the right back position. Klopp has already indicated that the youngster will join the first team squad for pre-season, and at this stage the manager is not considering sending him immediately back out on loan.
Liverpool see him developing into a player who can operate in a number of positions on the right side, in defence and midfield, and were attracted to his passing range as well as an ability to create chances. He will sign a five year contract, with Klopp looking to lower the age profile of his squad, as he joins 22 year old Nunez and 19 year old Carvalho in the first team pool.
With Klopp’s next priority a midfielder in the summer of 2023, he will now concentrate on trimming his squad during the remainder of the summer, with Sadio Mane, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, Nat Phillips, Taki Minamino and Neco Williams all likely to depart in sales or loan deals. Liverpool were keen to praise Aberdeen for their professional approach in negotiations for Ramsay, with the Scottish club driving a hard bargain in pushing the fee up from the Reds’ initial valuation.
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