Chelsea Reportedly Demand £10 Million for Dominic Solanke

With his current contract with Chelsea ready to expire, Dominic Solanke agreed to make the trip to Merseyside to join Liverpool to continue his development. Had Solanke transferred to a different league, Chelsea would be entitled to a minimal quarter of a million pound fee. Of course, that didn’t happen, and the Blues will be expecting a great deal more.

The two sides are currently trying to agree on a fee before it goes to a tribunal to determine the proper compensation, however they appear to be quite far apart in their valuation. Liverpool reportedly offered £3 million for the 19-year-old striker. The initial bid was rejected by Chelsea, first demanding £8 million, but now seeking closer to £10 million after Solanke’s stand out performance at the u-20 World Cup. You know, because Chelsea are really strapped for cash.

With such a substantial gap, this case appears more likely than not to go to a tribunal. For some points of reference, Chelsea had to fork over £6.5 million to Manchester City for Daniel Sturridge in 2009, and Liverpool needed to compensate Burnley to the tune of £8 million for Danny Ings. The tribunal system does not, apparently, offer any kind of insurance for strikers who will spend a majority of their careers in the physio room.

In the likely event of a tribunal, the process can last the better part of a year. Danny Ings fee was not decided until the end of April, nearly 10 months after completing the move to Liverpool, and 6 months after his first devastating ACL injury.