Jeremie Frimpong could be back in the Premier League next season, six years after leaving Manchester City
Comments
Sport
Jeremie Frimpong of Netherlands in action during the UEFA Nations League quarter final tie against Spain
Former Manchester City man Jeremie Frimpong has been linked with a summer transfer to Liverpool
Jeremie Frimpong knew his time was up at Manchester City when he went in for contract talks with the club.
Six years on, he could be making a return to the Premier League - but not in the blue of City but the red of Liverpool. Frimpong has been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool this summer with the Merseysiders reportedly set to get the better of Real Madrid in the race for the right-sided player.
Frimpong's £33million release clause at German club Bayer Leverkusen makes him an attractive proposition for Europe's top clubs, plenty of who will have been impressed with the 24-year-old's form and ability during his time in the Bundesliga.
But it could have been so different for the Netherlands international. He arrived at City aged 10 and progressed through the academy, starting in the FA Youth Cup final in 2019.
But that summer he left the Etihad. Speaking to SportBible last year, Frimpong discussed the manner of his exit, which had been on the cards - but he made his mind up when going into the club to discuss a new contract.
“I kept playing [an age group] down and I think when I was under-23’s at City, I remember going in for a new contract and that’s when I knew my path at City was different," he recalled.
“They were talking about how I couldn’t get into the team and were comparing me to other players in the academy that were doing better than me. I thought, ‘Yeah, I clearly don’t have a future here,’ so I’ve got to take a different step.
“I remember going to that meeting and he was saying, ‘You’re too small,’ and it’ll be too physical. That’s when I was thinking, ‘Oh s***, where am I gonna go?’."
A move to Celtic transpired, who became interested after an under-23 fixture between the sides, with the relatively small transfer fee of £350,000 going into the City bank account. A further £650,000 in add-ons was agreed depending on performances, so Celtic's domestic treble win in 2019/20 may have taken that fee closer to £1m. Frimpong played 51 times for Celtic before his form attracted the interest of Leverkusen.
With Frimpong making clear that he wanted to switch Parkhead for the BayArena, Leverkusen paid a reported fee of around £10m, rising to around £11.5m. That was good news for City, who inserted a 30 per cent sell-on clause in the deal, increasing their initial incoming tenfold. If Frimpong reaches the maximum add-ons for both transfers, City could have earned up to £4.3m from a youngster who never made a first-team appearance.