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Liverpool winger Ben Doak is poised to complete a $33 million switch to Bournemouth on Monday and the Cherries are acquiring a future star, according to Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk.
Doak, 19, arrived at Liverpool from Celtic as a 16-year-old in March 2022 for $1 million and now the Reds are poised to secure a remarkable profit on the gifted teenager.
The Scot's impressive displays for the club's U18s and U21s generated considerable excitement at Anfield as he was showered with comparisons to a young Michael Owen. Liverpool also turned down a $20 million offer from Crystal Palace in January, reports the Mirror.
Van Dijk's enthusiastic assessment followed Doak's appearance of just over 60 minutes for the Reds against Austrian outfit LASK in a Europa League fixture back in 2023. The youngster demonstrated his pace and nimble footwork as he bewildered LASK's defence, subsequently earning acclaim from the Dutch defender and former boss Jurgen Klopp.
"It was a big night for him," Van Dijk said. "It was never going to be easy, it was a difficult pitch, but he could have set up at least two goals in the first half where he went past his man like no one was there.
"Unfortunately nobody was on the end of it. But I am pleased for him and I'm also very excited for him and the future that's coming. So we are really pleased with the night because there were many positives on what was always going to be a tough test."
Doak became the fourth-youngest player to feature for Liverpool in Europe when he started against LASK. Following the 3-1 victory, Klopp also commended the young winger.
"If we could have used Ben Doak a little more often, give him the ball a little more, then he could have had more even times on the touchline to cause problems," said Klopp.
Rewind to December 2022, and the German also lauded a brief appearance from Doak, who assisted Darwin Nunez in a 4-1 demolition of AC Milan in the Dubai Super Cup.
"Ben Doak comes on, 17 years old, and is this kind of natural force, it's really cool to see," Klopp said at the time. "I'm not sure the academy could watch the game tonight but when you see these boys and performing in a game like this, it's cool."
Following a succession of injuries that hampered Doak's progression into the Liverpool first team, he spent last season on loan at Championship side Middlesbrough, netting three goals and registering seven assists in 24 outings.
Doak now departs Merseyside having made 10 senior appearances for Liverpool. Bournemouth were beaten 4-2 by the Reds on Friday evening in their opening fixture of the new Premier League campaign, despite staging a spirited comeback.
Having lost Illia Zabarnyi, Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez to Paris St-Germain, Real Madrid and Liverpool respectively, Andoni Iraola discussed the necessity for reinforcements following the defeat at Anfield. He acknowledged the Cherries are "not where they want to be" at present.
Nevertheless, Doak's arrival should provide Iraola and Bournemouth fans with a welcome boost, especially if Van Dijk and Klopp's forecasts for the youngster prove accurate.
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