Liverpool are set to be handed a transfer blow as Yasser Larouci edges closer to making a decision about his future.
The Algerian is out of contract at Anfield and has been offered a new deal by the Reds, but the ECHO understands he is on the verge of joining Ligue 1 side Troyes having found first team opportunities hard to come by on Merseyside.
Leeds United and Brentford have both been credited with interest in the 20-year-old in the past, but reports in France suggest Liverpool could be about to miss out on a multi-million pay-out for the defender’s services thanks to City Football Group - owners of Premier League rivals Man City.
The Reds have enjoyed a successful transfer window so far when it comes to outgoings, raising over £30m for some of their fringe players, and would have had hopes of Larouci adding to their financial incomings this summer despite his out-of-contract status.
That’s because the defender is a professional player under the age of 24, meaning Liverpool, as his training club, are entitled to compensation should he turn down a new contract and leave at the end of his current deal.
With such a scenario likely, the Reds would have been free to negotiate a compensation package with interested suitors, with a tribunal then ruling on a fee if a deal cannot be agreed, with Liverpool most recently going through such a process when signing Harvey Elliott from Fulham in the summer of 2019.
Therefore, by joining the Reds as a 16-year-old from Le Havre, had a Leeds or Brentford signed Larouci, Liverpool would have been entitled to negotiate a compensation package for a player who has twice represented Jurgen Klopp’s first team.
However, with the Algerian set to agree terms with the French side rather than an English club instead, the Reds would only be entitled to roughly £250,000 in training compensation as per FIFA rules.
While it is unknown how much the Reds would have hoped to demand had an English side moved for the youngster, they did agree on a £4m package with Watford when Jerome Sinclair left the club at the end of his own deal back in 2016.
And considering Larouci now finds himself in a similar scenario, a move to Troyes would ensure that Liverpool miss out on what would have been an expected multi-million pound payout.
Do you want an exclusive pre-season Liverpool preview - both in your inbox and through your letterbox? Head over here to find out more and secure your copy.
