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The Premier League giants could offer the Scotland international as part of a swap deal to sign Antoine Semenyo
Former Celtic youngster Ben Doak could be used as part of a big-money swap deal by English Premier League leaders Liverpool as they begin to plan for life after star man Mohamed Salah.
The Reds are exploring the possibility of using the six-capped Scotland international as a makeweight in any future deal to sign AFC Bournemouth pair Milos Kerkez or striker Antoine Semenyo, who has also been linked with Arsenal.
The Cherries have been chasing the 19-year-old winger, whose impressive loan spell at EFL Championship side Middlesbrough under Michael Carrick was cut by a thigh injury in January, for some time and have saw their hopes of landing the talented teenager soar in recent days.
That’s due to the recent departure of Crystal Palace sporting director Dougie Freedman, who was driving a potential summer deal for the Eagles due to his close relationship with Doak’s agent and former Hoops star Jackie McNamara.
Liverpool chiefs are reportedly due to make a decision on the attacker’s future this summer but it’s been reported by various media outlets south of the border that Doak will be sold, with the Anfield club’s asking price believed to be close to £25 million.
Freedman has left a list of signings targets with Selhurst Park boss Oliver Glasner ahead of his exit, which include Liverpool's Lewis Koumas, Burnley centre-half Maxime Esteve and Middlesbrough's Rav van den Berg.
Doak could have taken a different career path when he rose up through the youth ranks at Parkhead. He departed the Scottish champions after making just two first-team appearances under Ange Postecoglou, with the reason cited for his exit because he did not want to spend any more time in the Lowland League.
Speaking on Open Goal about his Celtic exit, McNamara said: “I went to watch him at 15. I went away to watch him at Scotland 17s but everybody was trying to get him, then I’d signed with him, he signed with us and Celtic were trying to get him to extend and stay.
“Ange had put him in a couple of times and if he’d have kept him in the first-team. The problem is if you’re not in the first-team they need something in between that to get the boys to go out.
“No disrespect to the Lowland League but when you’re at a certain level it’s stimulation, you need to go and play and be tested so there’s somewhere else boys can go if they’re not in the first-team. I think if they kept him in at that point he might’ve wanted to stay. He’s injured just now but I think he’s special. I watched him away with Scotland and he’s got it, he’s special.”
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