Liverpool and Derby County are said to have agreed a six-figure fee in order to wipe out the sell-on clause for highly-rated teen Kaide Gordon.
The winger swapped Pride Park for Anfield in early 2021 before signing a maiden professional deal with the Reds last October. The 17-year-old has made four senior appearances so far this season, across three different domestic competitions. Now, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have reportedly bought out the sell-on clause that was inserted into the original arrangement when they agreed to sign Gordon.
He reports that a fee of £500,000 will be paid to Derby in exchange for the removal of the 20 per cent sell-on clause. That would mean any future transfer involving Gordon would now not be of financial benefit to the Rams.
The move may well prove a masterstroke from Liverpool, as years down the line it could save them passing on millions to Derby. For example, if they were to sell Gordon for a fee of £20million it would mean a payment of £4m would be owed to his former club.
It is also a much-needed boost for County, who have been in administration since last September. Wayne Rooney's side, who have been relegated from the Championship this season, have had a tumultuous campaign including points deductions and transfer embargoes as well as the ongoing takeover saga.
Gordon's involvement, perhaps understandably given his tender age, has been limited this season by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp. Nevertheless, he has given him a number of outings. He was given his Premier League debut off the bench in a home win over Brentford back in January and has also scored his first senior goal against Shrewsbury in the FA Cup.
Speaking after that performance, Klopp said: "Kaide is always in our minds because he is an exceptional talent. He had a little drop in form which is completely normal for his age.
"He is an outstanding talent, he is always in my mind as long as he is fit. We will see where that leads. The Shrewsbury game helped a lot, he experienced proper adult football and he dealt with it. It's important for his development."
Gordon made just one appearance for Derby, a club he had been at from the age of eight. That solitary senior outing came in a Championship game against Birmingham in December 2020.
Speaking after his exit was confirmed, Rooney spoke highly of the talented midfielder saying he did not look out of place training among senior players despite only being 16. Rooney said: "I brought Kaide up with the first team initially to train with us for a week to see how he reacted to it, and he was one of the best trainers.
“I kept him with us for a couple of weeks and he’s been training at the same level – if not to a better level – than a lot of the other [senior] players.”
