If a report from Liverpool Echo is believed to be accurate, Celtic and Middlesbrough are keeping close tabs on Liverpool outcast Ben Davies ahead of a potential summer swoop. Neither Boro nor the Hoops have made an offer but are in touch with the Merseysiders who have set a valuation of around £4m for the former Preston North End centre-half.
The 26-year-old Englishman was a surprise inclusion back in winter 2021 amid injuries to first-team centre-backs Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip. Jurgen Klopp was forced to rely on academy pair Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams, whereas the midfield duo of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson were also deployed as makeshift defenders on a few occasions.
The Reds brought in Davies and Ozan Kabak to restore depth in the heart of the backline. The latter was a regular before suffering a season-ending injury, but the gaffer did not bank on the ex-Lilywhites star at all for the remainder of the 2020-21 season.
Liverpool made an upfront £500k payment to secure his services, however, the reported £1.1m performance-based add-ons have not been met. Davies has not played a single official game for the Premier League and Champions League runners-up, instead, the Reds have recouped £500k from Sheffield United who loaned him in for the 2021-22 campaign.
Why Davies Does Not Have A Future At Liverpool
Davies was supposed to play a prominent role at Bramall Lane given his profound experience in the Championship. But he failed to grab a regular status having featured only 22 times in the league. The Blades were knocked out from the playoff semis, and therefore, are not considering a permanent swoop due to monetary constraints.
Liverpool might have roped in Darwin Nunez, Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay but, at the same time, are offloading an array of names to balance the books as they have done for years under the ownership of FSG. Sadio Mane has bid farewell, and so are Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi. Neco Williams, too, is closing in on a summer departure and the club are likely to let both Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Nat Phillips go if the suitors table ambitious bids for the English pair.
The FA Cup and League winners are currently well equipped in the defensive third. Ibrahima Konate has been the standout signing, also the presence of Van Dijk, Matip and Gomez depict quality. Moreover, teenage prodigy Billy Koumetio has joined Austria Vienna on loan for first-team experience and a successful spell at Preston for the past one-and-a-half years might see Sepp van den Berg climbing up the pecking order. Rhys Williams is expected to be loaned out for senior minutes and Davies, with no future at Anfield, should accept his fate and seek a fresh start in due time.
