Bayer Leverkusen managing director Fernando Carro has insisted that he knows nothing about a possible move to Liverpool for wing-back Jeremie Frimpong, despite the rumor mill going into overdrive in the last 24 to 48 hours.
Frimpong, who was previously at Manchester City and Celtic and would arrive as a homegrown player because he lived in England from the age of seven, has a release clause thought to be set at $39 million (£30 million). But Carro says no move is imminent.
“Jeremie Frimpong has a long contract with us,” he told the German outlet Sport. “Although he also has an exit clause, we are currently not aware of any change.
“The rumors also surprised me a bit when I started in the football business seven years ago. Gradually I’m there for a longer time, there are always different interested parties, there are different parties, there are different relationships.
“It’s actually very difficult to get where the rumors come from. But I have to say there are many which really surprise me.”
Leverkusen will lose head coach Xabi Alonso at the end of the season with the former Liverpool midfielder set to take over from Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid. Star man Florian Wirtz, meanwhile, could also move on.
(Image: Pau Barrena/Getty Images)
But while Leverkusen can demand a huge fee for Wirtz, who has been linked mainly with Bayern Munich and Manchester City, it will be powerless to do anything to stop Frimpong leaving if someone agrees to pay the release clause.
Liverpool has used release clauses to sign Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai in recent times.
While negotiations would take place to sort out how the fee would be paid and in how many instalments, the fixed price can make deals much simpler to conduct.
“I’d 100 per cent like to do what Virgil has done,” Frimpong, who had at the time only been capped three times at U19 level by the Netherlands national set-up, told The Scotsman in 2019.
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What he meant by that was following the Liverpool captain in playing for Celtic and then representing the Netherlands at senior level, which Frimpong has since achieved. He left Manchester City when Joao Cancelo was signed for big money, recognizing that he was unlikely to get a proper chance under Pep Guardiola at the time.
“There is a pathway at Celtic; you get chances here to do that,” Frimpong added. “The Dutch national team play a lot of young players, like Matthijs de Ligt, who are really good. They are building another great team, and it would be exciting to be a part of that.”
If Frimpong does end up at Anfield, he would be there with Van Dijk, who signed a new two-year contract recently. Liverpool also needs to consider signings at left-back and number nine this summer.
