Liverpool may pocket transfer windfall as former Reds boss lines up January deal

Bobby Clark looks set for a return to Britain with Brendan Rodgers' Celtic, just a year on from his transfer from Liverpool to RB Salzburg.

Clark joined Salzburg for £10 million ($13 million) last summer but struggled for game time towards the end of last season, and he was loaned to Derby County in August.

The 20-year-old has figured in all but one of Derby's games since joining the club, but he won't be with the Rams for long, with Celtic reportedly having reached an agreement with Salzburg to sign Clark for £6 million ($8 million) in January.

Liverpool negotiated a 17.5 per cent sell-on clause with Salzburg when it allowed Clarke to move to Austria in 2024, ensuring that the club would benefit financially were Clark to flourish and move on for a major transfer fee at some point down the line.

It was not disclosed at the time of Clark's Anfield exit whether Liverpool would receive a percentage of Clark's total future sale price, or a percentage of the profit made by Salzburg on any sale.

If the agreement stipulates the former, then Liverpool will receive £1.05 million ($1.4 million), which equates to 17.5 per cent of the fee that Celtic is set to pay Salzburg; if it stipulates the latter, Liverpool will not receive any further money, as Salzburg is set to make a loss on the player.

Clark made 25 appearances for Salzburg, scoring just once, and the sacking of Pep Lijnders last December came as a blow to the youngster's prospects at the club.

Clark's father, the former Premier League player Lee Clark, said earlier this year of his son's time in Austria: "It has been hard.

"The manager he went and signed for in Pepijn Lijnders lost his job so it was the first time Bobby experienced that. In a short space of time as a young professional, he has experienced a lot of ups and downs.

"He went to RB Salzburg because he had a lot of respect for Pep Lijnders who was Jurgen Klopp's assistant when he left Liverpool.

"He lost his job and it can change the dynamics. But he has a long-term contract at Red Bull and we will see what happens next."

Clark is contracted to Salzburg until 2029, but it seems clear that the five-year deal he signed just over a year ago will be torn up after just 18 months.

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