Ozan Kabak Agrees Personal Terms Ahead of Liverpool Loan with £18M Purchase Option

Liverpool’s signing of Ozan Kabak from Schalke moves closer to completion today with reports the two clubs have fully agreed terms and signed paperwork for the deal while the player has agreed personal terms and undergone a remote medical in Germany.

From the German end, there was earlier talk today of a €3M loan fee and potential €30M purchase option for Kabak, with Liverpool insistent they would not accept any deal that included an obligation to buy the player at the end of the season.

Now, though, reliable English reports set both fees considerably lower, with The Athletic’s James Pearce claiming a £1M base loan fee with a potential 500k in further add-ons based on appearances, and an £18M purchase option the Reds could trigger in the summer.

The two sets of numbers would seem to represent what each club wants fans to hear, but either way it seems hard to argue the merits of the deal for the Reds—a chance to test out a highly promising young centre half before perhaps buying him.

In the short term, Kabak’s signing along with Preston’s Ben Davies fills an obvious need for the club, and along with the Kabak purchase option being an option and not an obligation that makes today’s transfer business worth celebrating.