Ben Doak is set to leave Liverpool for Bournemouth in a £25million deal and the youngster departs with glowing recommendations from Virgil van Dijk and former boss Jurgen Klopp
Liverpool winger Ben Doak is set to formalise a move to Bournemouth for £25million on Monday. And the Cherries are getting a star in the making, according to Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk.
Doak, 19, joined Liverpool from Celtic as a 16-year-old in March 2022 for just £600,000 and now the Reds are set to make a staggering profit on the talented youngster.
The Scot's eye-catching performances for the club's U18s and U21s caused a wave of excitement at Anfield as he was lavished with comparisons to a young Michael Owen. Liverpool also rejected a £15m bid from Crystal Palace in January.
Van Dijk's glowing appraisal came after Doak played just over 60 minutes for the Reds against Austrian side LASK in a Europa League tie back in 2023. The youngster showcased his speed and quick feet as he bamboozled LASK's backline, later drawing huge praise from the Dutch icon and former manager 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 appear for the Reds in European competition with his start against LASK. Speaking after the 3-1 win, Klopp also praised 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 hailed a late cameo from Doak, who assisted Darwin Nunez in a 4-1 thrashing 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."
After a series of injuries that prevented Doak from making in-roads into the Liverpool first team, he spent last season on loan at Championship club Middlesbrough, scoring three goals and bagging seven assists in 24 appearances.
Doak now leaves Merseyside having made 10 senior appearances for Liverpool. Bournemouth were defeated 4-2 by the Reds on Friday night in their opening fixture of the new Premier League season, despite mounting a spirited fightback.
Having lost Illia Zabarnyi, Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez to Paris St-Germain, Real Madrid and Liverpool respectively, Andoni Iraola spoke about the need for reinforcements after the defeat at Anfield.
He claimed the Cherries are "not where they want to be" at the moment. However, the signing of Doak should give Iraola and Bournemouth fans a jolt of excitement, particularly if Van Dijk and Klopp's predictions for the player come to fruition.