Liverpool have been told they will have to meet Carlos Bacca’s €30m (£21.5m) release clause if they want to sign the striker from Sevilla, with the Colombian’s agent admitting the Merseyside club are one of two in the Premier League considering a bid.
Bacca, who is currently on international duty at the Copa América, is under contract with the Europa League winners for another three seasons having scored 34 goals in 71 appearances since moving to Spain two years ago from Club Brugge.
Despite reports that Liverpool have already made a bid to sign the 28-year-old, Sevilla’s sporting director Monchi confirmed that the club has yet to receive an offer but admitted there is nothing they can do to stop him leaving if the clause is met.
That was also confirmed by Bacca’s agent Sergio Barila, although he revealed that Liverpool are not the only club in England to have been in touch.
“We have had lots of interest but so far there has been no official approach,” he told the Guardian. “I spoke with Carlos on Wednesday night and we agreed we need a real solution. Clubs are telling him not to sign anything until they have made an offer but we are still waiting. Liverpool and another English club are among those that have shown an interest but there are also clubs in Italy. What is clear is that they must meet the release clause but at this stage nobody has.”
Barila was in Italy last week to meet officials from Milan and Roma, although it is understood that Bacca would prefer a move to England. Manchester United have also been mentioned as a possible destination for a player who only arrived in Europe in 2012 at the age of 24 having spent his formative years at Barranquilla-based Atlético Junior, where he worked as a bus driver’s assistant to supplement his income.
Bacca scored seven goals in last season’s Europa League, including two in the final against Dnipro, to add to the 20 he managed in 37 appearances as Sevilla finished fifth in La Liga. That has led to widespread speculation he will depart, with Monchi admitting that the club has taken a risk by not signing him up to a new contract.
“We have not received an official offer for Bacca. We are not in negotiations for any important player,” he said.
“I’m no fortune-teller but top strikers in the market there aren’t that many. Bacca has averaged 24.5 goals, 21 goals in his first season at the club and 28 in his second.
“I hope no one pays his buy-out clause. It’s a risk we take but we can’t do anything about that.
“We gave him a new contract 10 months ago and I believe he and his family are very happy here. But I cannot predict the future.”
After being sent off in Colombia’s victory over Brazil for clashing with Neymar, Bacca was handed a two-match suspension that means he will only feature again in the Copa América if José Pékerman’s side beat Argentina in Friday’s quarter-final. Barila acknowledged that Bacca could still end up staying with Sevilla but admitted Liverpool was on a list of clubs he would consider joining.
“Sevilla are a good team who will play in the Champions League next season so it wouldn’t be a disaster to stay,” he said. “Carlos has other options to earn a lot of money in places like China or the United Arab Emirates but that would not fit in with what he is looking for.
“We are really looking at three things - number one is to have a happy family situation for his wife and son because he had a bad experience in Belgium. The second is to find a good team with a good project. Before he went to Chile, we wrote down a list of clubs that fit that description and Liverpool was on that list.
“The third question is the contract. He has a good salary in Sevilla but we know how much clubs in England can pay.”
