Fabrizio Romano confirms £25m Liverpool MASTERCLASS | OneFootball

In football, having the 'pull' to convince big players to join is all about the stature of the club, whereas selling players for extraordinary fees is all about the recruitment department's efforts.

This summer, Liverpool appear to have mastered both aspects of the transfer window. Huge talents such as Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak are all looking at the Reds as their ideal home.

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Meanwhile, those players that normally play far away from the limelight are duly considered for a call-up to regular senior football and if they aren't at the right level, then they're sold for an insane price.

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We've all become accustomed to what Liverpool have shown they're capable of in this transfer window and suddenly, the outrageous deals are seen as being increasingly normal. The latest move the Reds have pulled off proves beyond all doubt that we're operating in a way that no one else can.

Liverpool have mastered the art of selling

Early on Friday afternoon, The Guardian reported that a deal for Ben Doak to join Bournemouth for around £25m was close and just as few hours later, Fabrizio Romano gave it his seal of approval.

In his latest post, he said: "Ben Doak to Bournemouth, here we go! Deal in place with Liverpool for £25m transfer fee. Porto are no longer in the mix since Tuesday as they've been informed of deal in place with Bournemouth. Formal steps to follow next."

Given the Scottish winger has failed to really make an impact on the first team, and following an impressive loan spell in the Championship with Middlesbrough last season, both the fee for his departure and the club that he would be joining seemed like logical and understandable details.

But once you look a little closer at what Liverpool have just agreed, the more genius it appears to be.

Doak joined Liverpool from Celtic in 2022 at just 16 years old and he impressed fans from the off.

The burst of pace he can utilise, following by his quick feet when dribbling made him a dangerous player for Liverpool to have signed, regardless of his age. He had so much talent and potential.

Jurgen Klopp used him from time to time in the senior squad, hoping he could change the game by delivering a moment of brilliance from out of nowhere, although his first attacking return never came.

Arne Slot's arrival at the club last season led to Doak being sent on loan to Middlesbrough, where he made 10 goal contributions in 24 games, getting regular minutes and fast-tracking his development.

This summer, however, the £25m offer was too good to turn down and while the Scot could genuinely have made a difference this season as Mohamed Salah's back-up, he's been moved on.

But what you might have missed throughout all of this, is that he never did once get a goal or an assist for Liverpool's senior team in a competitive game. During pre-season, he was always a threat, but he couldn't deliver when the difficulty was turned up a notch.

Of course, he's still only 19 years old now, so Bournemouth will feel reasonably happy with their purchase, but they've splashed out on potential, rather than a proven track-record and it's the club's ability to get considerable fees for spare players like this that makes them lethal transfer geniuses.

It's a masterclass in negotiating and each move is more impressive than the last. Liverpool have sold £233.9m worth of assets this summer. The net spend is below £100m. No one compares to the Reds.