Rumour Mongering: Liverpool Want £5M for Fringe Forward

Ten years ago, Liverpool won the race to sign a 14-year-old Sheyi Ojo from MK Dons, paying the Buckinghamshire club a fee of around £2M and beating out the likes of Chelsea for the young attacker. As one would expect with that kind of arrival, expectations were high.

Now 24 years of age and having not made a senior appearance for Liverpool since an FA Cup match in 2017, the club are seeking a permanent home for Ojo. According to Goal’s Neil Jones, they’re looking for a fee of around £5M for him and there is Greek and Belgian interest.

Given the player’s age and limited action in recent seasons, though—not to mention that transfer activity is down this summer, with clubs outside Europe’s elite leagues especially hard hit by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic—that ask seems optimistic.

I his time on Liverpool’s books, Ojo has made 13 total senior appearances for the club. He’s also headed out on loan six times, joining Wigan, Wolves, Fulham, Reims, Rangers, and Cardiff over the years. His most recent loan spells, with Rangers in Scotland and Cardiff in the Championship, saw him make 36 appearances with five goals and 42 appearances with five goals, respectively.

Both cases speak to a player who appears able to make a contribution for a club at that level, and in another summer it perhaps wouldn’t be a stretch to see Liverpool get the £5M they’re asking for him. It remains to be seen if that kind of a return is possible this summer.