Jurgen Klopp ruled out a late January transfer with his use of the substitutes’ bench vs. Bournemouth, with left-back Owen Beck now set to stay at Liverpool.
In the hours before kickoff in Liverpool’s trip to Bournemouth, speculation mounted over a permanent bid from Celtic for 21-year-old Beck.
Having seen the Welshman recalled from his loan spell at Dundee, the Glasgow club had already seen a loan offer rebuffed, along with a number of other clubs.
But the expectation was that Brendan Rodgers’ side could secure a deal before the end of the January transfer window, as Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas near a return from injury.
However, with Klopp introducing Beck for Conor Bradley late on in Sunday’s 4-0 win at Dean Court, the chances of a move have now faded.
This comes as Beck would be unable to play for another club this season, having featured in competitive games for both Dundee and Liverpool.
FIFA regulations explain: “Players may be registered with a maximum of three clubs during one season. During this period, the player is only eligible to play official matches for two clubs.”
If Beck were to join Celtic, then, he would only be eligible to play in friendly and academy games until next season.
There is, therefore, no chance a deal will be struck for him to switch in January, with the youngster now set to stay on Merseyside for the remainder of the season.
It is unlikely that he features heavily, though, given Robertson (shoulder) will return to full training next week and Tsimikas (collarbone) is not far off.
Joe Gomez has excelled at left-back in the absence of Klopp’s specialist senior options, with Beck a clear fourth choice when all are fit.
Liverpool allowed Luke Chambers to join Wigan on loan earlier this month, with it possible that Beck now splits his time between the first team and U21s before his future is assessed in the summer.
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