Liverpool are claimed to have agreed a fee in the seven-figure region for 21-year-old academy striker Liam Millar, who will leave England after eight years and three loans.
Millar joined the Reds from Fulham in 2016, and established himself as a regular fixture with the under-18s and under-23s, while also catching the eye of Canada scouts.
A native Canadian, he made his debut for the senior national team as an 18-year-old in 2018, and has gone on to make 11 appearances for his country so far.
He made his Liverpool debut in the 1-0 win over Shrewsbury in last season’s FA Cup, having seen a second loan spell with Kilmarnock cut short, remaining at Kirkby until the start of this year.
After five goals and three assists in 14 games for the U23s – often as captain – Millar spent the remainder of 2020/21 on loan with Charlton, who then hoped to retain his services.
But according to the Liverpool Echo, the Reds have now accepted a bid from Swiss club Basel, which will see the young forward depart on a permanent basis.
Millar is said to be “close to agreeing personal terms after a second seven-figure bid was accepted by Liverpool on Friday,” with Basel having “met the asking price.”
According to The Athletic‘s James Pearce that asking price is around £2 million, which is a reasonable fee given his lack of opportunities at Anfield and the fact his contract expires in 2022.
Blackpool, managed by former Liverpool U23s coach Neil Critchley, are also credited with an interest, but it seems as though Millar is bound for the Swiss Super League.
He could look to two current Reds first-team players for advice about his prospective new club, with Mohamed Salah and Xherdan Shaqiri having previously turned out for Basel.
Shaqiri came through the youth ranks at St Jakob-Park, while Salah spent two years in Switzerland before his ill-fated move to Chelsea in 2014.
Though Millar has trained with the Liverpool first team on a number of occasions, there is a sense of opportunity lost for the young Canadian, not aided by the world-class form of Salah ahead of him.
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