Nice money if you can get it.
Bournemouth have already paid Liverpool £15 million this summer for squad player Jordan Ibe and now they’re about hand over another £6m for Australian full-back Brad Smith, a player who has made just five league appearances for the Merseyside club.
Smith came to the attention of a lot of Liverpool fans when Brendan Rodgers sprung him from the bench at Stamford Bridge for his debut in December 2013, a substitution that was widely seen a statement from the manager to the owners that his squad was too thin and in need of reinforcements in the January window.
Smith went on loan to Swindon for the 2014/15 season but returned to Anfield during the last campaign and made four more league appearances under Jurgen Klopp.
One of Smith’s three starts was in Liverpool’s 2-1 win at Bournemouth in April and that may have been enough to persuade Eddie Howe that the 22-year-old has something to offer his side this season.
The move has yet to be completed but it is expected the player will travel to the south coast for a medical this week.
What it means, if and when the deal does go through, is that the £21 million Bournemouth have handed over to Liverpool in the past few weeks provides the bulk of the £25 million Klopp has paid out to Newcastle for Georginio Wijnaldum.
Ibe + Smith + £4m = Georginio Wijnaldum. Seems like good business to us.
