Liverpool could be set to earn themselves at least £2.5million in the summer if their former striker Taiwo Awoniyi returns to the Premier League.
The Nigeria international left the Reds at the end of last season having made his loan move to Union Berlin permanent for approximately £6.5million. He has since scored 11 goals in 24 Bundesliga appearances for the club and is quickly starting to live up to his potential.
Awoniyi never made a single senior appearance for Liverpool despite joining the club in 2015 as he was unable to gain a UK work permit. However, now that he has featured on the international scene, his chances of acquiring a permit have been boosted.
Mirror Sport understands that West Ham, Southampton and Newcastle are all interested in the 24-year-old and could push for a move for the striker at the end of the season. The Premier League trio are willing to pay £25million for Awoniyi’s services, with some of that money heading to Anfield thanks to a clause in his contract.
Liverpool negotiated a 10% sell-on clause with Berlin last summer and will reap the benefits if a bidding war ensues between the three aforementioned clubs. Awoniyi is thought to be keen to return to England if given the chance, having never actually been able to take his first opportunity in the country with two hands through no fault of his own.
Having spent £400,000 to sign Awoniyi initially, Liverpool are already in profit regarding the striker and the sell-on bonus would only boost their profit margin heading into the summer. A few million is unlikely to be the difference between the Reds making a signing or not, but any sort of funds out of the blue will be a nice touch.
But talks of transfers in Merseyside will certainly be pushed to the side until the end of the season as Jurgen Klopp’s side have every chance of securing a historic quadruple. They sit just one point behind Manchester City in the Premier League, have a fighting chance in the Champions League, won the Carabao Cup back in February and have a FA Cup semi-final clash with City on the horizon.
Midfielder Thiago Alcantara has recently spoken out about how every match for Liverpool feels like a cup final and how enjoyable that is. The Spaniard told Liverpool’s website : “The other day I was talking with some friends about it and I never had, in the years that I have been involved in football, I never had a month so exciting like this with such important and exciting matches every three days.
"So it will be amazing. Well, it’s not the most exciting month of my career [but] for sure it is exciting because you are competing against the best, in the best competitions as well, but also because it reminds you that we are in finals. It looks like a World Cup, a European Cup, where every game is a final. With that, we are in a one-mission mood and we are there."
