Liverpool have completed a £19 million sale of forward Dominic Solanke to AFC Bournemouth.
Solanke was the subject of a loan enquiry last week from Crystal Palace which fell through over fitness concerns, but Brighton remained in the hunt for a permanent deal.
However, Bournemouth are the side that have acquired the former Chelsea youngster, having agreed a £19 million fee, plus more in potential add-ons.
The move was confirmed by both clubs on Friday afternoon, with Solanke saying:
“I think the club is going somewhere. Over the past few years, they have been really good in the Premier League and had some good positional finishes as well. I think it’s a good club to be at, especially for someone of my age.
“I spoke with the manager this morning [Friday]. He is a really nice guy. From playing and watching the Premier League, I know the sort of manager he is. I was excited to meet him and am really looking forward to working with him and seeing what he’s about.
“My main target is to score goals and, being a striker, hopefully I can get a few for the team and help the team get wins. Playing in the Premier League, every game is tough and together we can try to do as well as we can.”
The 21-year-old had further interest from Stuttgart in Germany and Fulham and Huddersfield in the Premier League for loan moves, but instead completes an Anfield exit on a permanent basis.
It’s claimed that Bournemouth moved quickly to sign Solanke on a permanent deal, with a loan move for Nathaniel Clyne also set to be completed by the south-coast side and clubs cannot have two players on loan from the same club.
Solanke scored once in 27 appearances last season for the Reds, but has not played a single minute of senior action this term.
He has instead been getting game time with the U23s when fit, and on international duty with England U21s, where he has continued his goalscoring which has been a regular feature of his growth.
The sale of Solanke has been negotiated by Michael Edwards and represents another remarkable piece of business.
While no official announcement was made over how much compensation the Reds paid Chelsea for signing Solanke, it was thought to be around £5-6 million.
Liverpool had wanted a £3m, while Chelsea wanted £10m; an agreement was reached in June last year to prevent going to tribunal.
It therefore represents a significant return on investment for the Reds in the one-cap striker, with add-ons likely to take the eventual fee above the £20m mark.
Bournemouth also signed Jordon Ibe and Brad Smith from Liverpool back in 2016, with the two deals worth a combined potential of £19 million.
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