Jeremie Frimpong is now expected to join Liverpool in the near future with the club set to trigger his release clause, ending a pursuit which began months ago.
Frimpong will become a Liverpool player this summer with plans in place to meet the £30 million release clause in his contract at Bayer Leverkusen.
The right-sider is due to arrive as Trent Alexander-Arnold leaves, with Arne Slot resolved to add another option to his squad despite faith in Conor Bradley at right-back.
It is a deal that has come as a surprise to many, particularly as it was widely reported that Liverpool would prioritise a new signing at left-back heading into the transfer window.
But Liverpool made clear their designs on Frimpong six months ago, according to the Mail‘s Lewis Steele, which correlates with a visit from his agent to Anfield.
Bild journalist Christian Falk reported last year that the player’s representative Dirk Hebel was “in the director’s box” for Liverpool’s clash with Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League in November.
Frimpong found the back of the net in that game but saw his goal ruled out for a marginal offside, having left Kostas Tsimikas trailing with his blistering pace before firing into the top corner.
Falk noted at the time that “the club and the player’s entourage are talking” and that is now bearing fruit with The Athletic‘s David Ornstein reporting that agreeing personal terms is “not an issue.”
Interestingly, Leverkusen’s trip to Merseyside also saw Xabi Alonso’s squad train on the outdoor pitches at the AXA Training Centre the day after their 4-0 loss at Anfield.
? AXA Training Centre Liverpool
Guten Morgen vom Trainingsplatz. Die #Werkself absolvierte die Trainingseinheit heute auf dem Gelände des @LFC, bevor es zurück nach Leverkusen geht! ?
? #LIVB04 | #UCL | #Bayer04 pic.twitter.com/0SYYGGZCeM
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04fussball) November 6, 2024
Frimpong was among the players pictured heading out for a session at the training ground in Kirkby, along with another of the club’s summer targets, Florian Wirtz.
While at the time it was seen as a simple gesture, gratefully received by a head coach with close ties to the club, but it is possible that Liverpool had an ulterior motive.
Staff will have been able to watch closely as both Frimpong and Wirtz were put through their paces, with it often noted that more can be learned about players in training than during the games themselves.
• READ: Florian Wirtz: Why Liverpool could see £126m transfer as a game-changer
It would not be the first time this current Liverpool setup have employed covert tactics to learn more about those on their radar.
Michael Edwards spent days anonymously observing one coach in a hotel before ruling him out as a possible successor to Brendan Rodgers in 2015, with a similar tactic seeing Jurgen Klopp impress him.
And Slot himself recently revealed his theory behind a trip from Julian Ward to Rotterdam when he was still in charge of Feyenoord.
“He called me, I think a month before Richard [Hughes] called me, and said, ‘I’m going around Europe and I’m interested in how certain clubs work — can I come to your place as well?’,” Slot told Sky Sports earlier this month.
“He was there for one or two days and he wasn’t there just for that! He wanted to know how I work and to hear from the staff how the cooperation was and how we worked together.
“Again, an example of what they all do to find the best possible player or manager.”
Liverpool are likely to make Frimpong their first signing of the summer soon after the Bundesliga season finishes on Saturday – and no doubt the Anfield VIP treatment and invitations to the AXA will have played a big part.
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