Bournemouth have completed the signing of Liverpool winger Ben Doak for an initial £20m fee, with another £5m possible through performance-related clauses.
The Scotland international, 19, has committed to a five-year deal and becomes the south-coast side’s fourth incoming player of the summer window.
Doak, who was not part of Liverpool’s squad during their 4-2 victory over Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday, expressed his excitement about the move.
“I’m delighted to be here. The timing feels right for me, and the opportunity to play consistently at the top level is too good to ignore. The style of football fits me perfectly, so it was an easy decision,” he said.
Player’s career and competition for signature
Capped six times for Scotland, Doak spent last season on loan at Middlesbrough, where he delivered three goals and seven assists in 24 Championship games.
Despite competing offers from other English clubs such as Leeds and interest from Porto, Bournemouth secured his signature. The switch offers him greater prospects of regular minutes, having featured just 10 times for Liverpool since arriving from Celtic in 2022.
Liverpool’s transfer business and PSR boost
This departure adds to Liverpool’s significant summer turnover, with player sales now reaching around £200m. Meanwhile, they have invested over £270m on fresh recruits, including a rejected £110m approach for Newcastle striker Alexander Isak.
Notable exits include Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich for £65.5m, Darwin Nunez to Al-Hilal for £46.3m, and academy graduate Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen for £35m. Caoimhin Kelleher, Tyler Morton, and Nat Phillips have also moved on, while Real Madrid paid £8.4m to release Trent Alexander-Arnold early, though that figure is under dispute.
Combined, the departures of Doak, Phillips, Alexander-Arnold, Kelleher, Quansah, and Morton have brought in roughly £85m. These players, recruited at a combined £600,000 cost as youth or development signings, now provide Liverpool with a sizeable profit that strengthens their position under profit and sustainability rules.
Bournemouth’s busy transfer period
The Cherries have also been active, parting with Dango Ouattara to Brentford for £42.5m, while Illia Zabarnyi, Dean Huijsen, and Milos Kerkez left in deals worth about £150m combined to Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, and Liverpool.
Additions this summer include goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, left-back Adrien Truffert, and defender Bafode Diakite. January recruit Eli Junior Kroupi has also been added to the group following his loan spell with Lorient.
Manager Andoni Iraola admitted before the defeat at Anfield that the squad “is not where we want it to be” and hinted that “important movements” would follow before the window closes on 1 September. The club is reportedly aiming to add a central defender and another striker, with Enes Unal sidelined until late autumn through a serious knee injury.
