Updated / Tuesday, 3 Jun 2025 09:55
Cork amateur soccer club Ringmahon Rangers are in line for a reported €3million payday with their former goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher on the verge of a move from Liverpool to Brentford.
Kelleher came up through the age grades at Ringmahon and eventually lined out for their senior team before making the move to Liverpool in 2015.
The Cork club are understood to have agreed a 20% sell-on fee with Liverpool when Kelleher moved to Merseyside and are set for a windfall payment in the coming days.
With Kelleher now poised to switch from Liverpool to Brentford for an initial €16million, potentially rising to €21.3million with add-on fees, Ringmahon are set to receive what would be the largest ever sell-on payment received by an Irish club.
That payment would eclipse the €2million Shamrock Rovers got from Gavin Bazunu's move from Manchester City to Southampton.
The 26-year-old, who has a year left on his contract at Anfield, played over a quarter of the champions' Premier League matches this season when first choice Alisson Becker was injured.
His move away from the Merseyside club has been heavily reported, with Giorgi Mamardashvili joining the club in July after Liverpool confirmed the signature of the Valencia keeper last summer.
The switch to west London comes with 31-year-old Bees keeper Mark Flekken set to join Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.
Kelleher's initial journey from Ringmahon to Liverpool is the kind of move that can no longer happen, following Brexit.
Since the UK left the European Union, Premier League clubs are no longer allowed to sign players from the EU before the player turns 18, as is the case under FIFA rules, and young players must also meet a strict criteria in order to move.