Celtic may still have reason to keep close tabs on how Doak develops at Bournemouth
16:43, 18 Aug 2025
Ben Doak in action for Liverpool
Ben Doak in action for Liverpool
Ben Doak is on the verge of a £25m move to Bournemouth – and while Celtic don't stand to make anything from his initial move, a little known FIFA rule may still pay out in the future.
The former Celtic winger joined Liverpool in 2022 after his contract at Parkhead expired, with the Reds paying around £600,000 in training compensation to take him to the Premier League.
Since that was technically a free transfer with no deal agreed between the clubs, Celtic don't have a sell-on clause inserted in his contract.
That means his imminent move to Bournemouth, which comes after just 10 appearances for the Merseyside giants, won't pay out in the same way that Jeremie Frimpong's money-spinning move to Anfield did.
But that's not quite the end of the story.
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As part of FIFA and UEFA's training compensation system, five per cent of any transfer fee for international moves before a player turns 23 must be set aside and divvied out between clubs who played a role in their training and development from the ages of 12 to 23.
But, per UEFA rules, that only applies when a player moves from one association to another.
Were Doak to have followed in the footsteps of the international teammates Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour, for instance, and moved to Italy, then £1.25m of that fee would have been earmarked to be split between Celtic and Middlesbrough, where Doak spent time on loan last season.
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The Hoops, since they were responsible for seven years of his eligible training, would have taken the lion's share of that.
Should Doak go on to leave England for a move abroad, before he turns 23 in November 2028, then the Hoops, along with Liverpool and Middlesbrough, will be due a cut.
But until that happens, any Celtic interest in Doak's career is strictly sentimental as one of their own makes a name for himself in the Premier League.