According to reports in the Evening Standard, Chelsea are ready to demand more than £10m in compensation from Premier League rivals Liverpool for young forward Dominic Solanke, but they would likely get less if the case goes to a tribunal.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the 19-year-old agreed to leave Stamford Bridge and make the move to Anfield last month after his contract expired, but because he is under the age of 24 the Blues are entitled to a fee.
The Evening Standard says the west London outfit rejected Liverpool’s initial £3m offer, and after Solanke starred at the Under-20 World Cup – finishing as the second top goalscorer at the tournament with four goals to help the young Three Lions lift the trophy – they will now ask for more than £10m.
If the Merseyside outfit refuse to pay that, the final fee will be decided by a tribunal who will likely take his performances at the World Cup into consideration.
Will Liverpool pay that?
Considering they initially offered £3m, they are extremely unlikely to pay more than £10m before the tribunal, as they will be well aware that the forward could be valued at a lower price than that.
What arguments would Chelsea have then?
Well, the Evening Standard says they paid £6.5m to sign Daniel Sturridge from Manchester City in a similar situation in 2010 – as Liverpool did with Danny Ings too – but they are ready to argue that Solanke has already achieved more at youth level then the now Liverpool striker ever did.
The 19-year-old has won more than 50 caps for England at youth level and made his debut in the Champions League at the age of just 17.
Despite the fact that his is only first team appearance for the Blues, he did play 25 times on loan at Vitesse Arnhem last season.
And having joined the Blues academy at Under-8 level, they will argue that they have trained the attacker to be the promising young player he is right now.
What’s the verdict, then?
Well, with Liverpool unlikely to stump up more than £10m a tribunal looks likely, and with Chelsea having their defence ready it will be interesting to see what the final fee is, although it seems unlikely to be that much considering past cases.