Liverpool passed up on the opportunity to sign Ozan Kabak as they had the right to but may well be stranded this summer.
After being offered to Liverpool for a cut-price earlier this summer, Kabak is facing contract termination at Schalke.
Speaking to the Blood Red Podcast, Bundesliga journo Constantin Eckner said: “Kabak is rated highly but Schalke need him to go because they can’t pay him – that is the situation.
“Kabak was set to return to training with Schalke after his holidays after the Euros but they told him to have more days off to find a new club.
“The first thought a couple of months ago was that he would stay with Liverpool.
KIRKBY, ENGLAND – MAY 04: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Ozan Kabak of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre on May 04, 2021 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
“But after they signed Konate, there was probably no way they would sign Kabak as well at this point with three first-choice defenders returning.
“The next thought was that he could go to Leicester because Brendan Rodgers.
“Then Schalke were in talks with Crystal Palace, who have then signed Joachim Andersen from Lyon for €27m – so he’s probably not going to Palace anymore.
“Clubs are interested but then they find someone else who is more compelling and Kabak is still outside on the street in the rain.”
Real Madrid’s French forward Karim Benzema (R) is fouled by Liverpool’s Turkish defender Ozan Kabak during the UEFA Champions League first leg quarter-final football match between Real Madrid and Liverpool at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Valdebebas in the outskirts of Madrid on April 6, 2021. (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP) (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)
I’m heartbroken for Kabak. While you can’t blame the Reds because they’re not responsible for the Turk’s future, taking him on loan and not triggering the option to buy seems to have devastated his prospects this summer.
With the Liverpool Echo being told that Schalke are considering terminating his contract to give him a fair chance of finding a new club before the end of the summer, it’s crazy to think how his fortunes have been transformed in eight months.
Eckner said: “Schalke might even terminate his contract before the end of August so he has time to find a new club.
“But it’s really weird to have someone like him on the market and begging for a club. It’s not like he’s trying to join Real Madrid or something!”
From signing on with Liverpool to facing contract termination in less than a year is a mental but he’s a young and talented player and I have no doubt he’ll succeed elsewhere.
It’s a pity Liverpool have so much quality at centre-back because he has a high ceiling on his potential and could become a great player.
