Ozan Kabak and Liverpool Football Club have confirmed via their respective social media accounts that he will not be staying at Anfield.
The Turkish defender took to Instagram to say: “I would like to thank you for the compassion and support you have shown towards me since the day I arrived.
“I believe the experience I gathered during my four months stay here has been very important. I have learnt a lot from Jurgen Klopp and all my teammates and I was proud to be part of this special family.
“I will always remember my days here at Liverpool with great happiness and the special song which kindly gifted me. YNWA.”
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – MARCH 04: Jurgen Klopp, Manager of Liverpool interacts with Ozan Kabak and Andy Robertson (L) of Liverpool following the Premier League match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield on March 04, 2021 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Liverpool re-tweeted the same message on Twitter and in doing so have confirmed that they will not make his loan move from Schalke to Merseyside a permanent one.
Liverpool fans react to Kabak’s message
Some supporters are baffled at Liverpool’s refusal to sign him but with Ibrahima Konate joining the club, he is no longer needed.
Transfermarkt values the 21-year-old defender at €26.2million [£22.50m] but reports have indicated that he was available to Liverpool for €21million [£18m].
I think most of us can agree that we wanted Ozan to stay at the club. A great servant and a solid defender.
He’s only 21 years old so expect great things from him, will become top class sometime down the line.#YNWA @ozankabak4 👊🏻
— LFC Transfer Room (@LFCTransferRoom) June 30, 2021
Arrived in unimaginably difficult circumstances and performed well, certainly well enough to merit £18m. Liverpool went a different way, but I still view Kabak as one of the most promising young CBs & expect him to end up at a top side. https://t.co/4UOCDcG0HP
— David Comerford (@Dave_Comerford) June 30, 2021
Signing Kabak for £12m whilst Phillips might be sold for £15m would’ve been a stroke of masterclass. However, Liverpool not signing Kabak for that fee – as they know Phillips might leave – has me thinking they weren’t sold on him. Perhaps they want to take a punt on Rhys Williams
— Maxi (@MaaxiAngelo) June 30, 2021
£18M for Kabak and we haven’t paid it, I don’t understand
— 🥤 (@TheImmortalKop) June 30, 2021
At the end of the day with Virgil van Dijk, Konate, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Ben Davies and Nathaniel Phillips currently set to be Liverpool’s centre-back options for next season, the Reds are well-stocked at the back.
It’s a dramatic turn of events considering that Liverpool had the worst centre-back injury crisis I have ever seen at the club.
What are Liverpool’s plans this summer?
While Kabak was unable to force his way into Liverpool’s plans for the summer, the Reds are not done reinforcing their squad and plan to sign a midfielder and forward.
KIRKBY, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 24: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Ozan Kabak of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre on February 24, 2021 in Kirkby, England. PHOTO BY ANDREW POWELL/LIVERPOOL FC VIA GETTY IMAGES.
Anfield Central understands that Michael Edwards has targets in mind but Liverpool are stalling on making their next move while they wait to see who will leave.
It’s annoying from a supporter’s perspective but FSG requires the club to sell to buy and while it can be frustrating to see the likes of Manchester United ready to spend £77.5m to sign Jadon Sancho, it’s a more sustainable model and it’s worked well for Jurgen Klopp so far.
