Liverpool are set to sign highly-rated Red Bull Salzburg star Takumi Minamino in January for £7.25m – close to the reported £7.5m transfer [Sky Sports] of Ryan Kent to Rangers.
The highly-rated Japanese international has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal at Anfield and will join up with his new charges when the window opens.
After impressing against the Reds in the Champions League Jurgen Klopp’s side moved quickly to sign the winger.
Scoring nine goals and providing 11 assists in only 22 games this season shows the standard that the 24-year-old has reached in Austria.
One of those came against Liverpool at Anfield when Salzburg were beaten 4-3 by the Premier League leaders in the Champions League group stages.
But the fact Takumi Minamino has moved for such a cut-price fee in Premier League terms doesn’t reflect completely on the Rangers move for Kent.
Liverpool activated the £7.25m release clause in the talented Japanese winger’s contract to bring him to England.
That means the Merseyside club have got one of Asia’s biggest emerging talents for a cut-price fee in a transfer which could prove to be a considerable bargain.
The Anfield club played hardball with Rangers over Ryan Kent and Steven Gerrard’s side eventually got their man on the final day of the transfer window.
Kent remains very highly rated within the game and his signing is still considered a coup from a Rangers point of view.
But Liverpool can be very happy with their business after the reported fee for Kent was essentially reinvested into a player with emerging Champions League pedigree.
