Courtesy: Google
Brentford is reportedly going ahead to sign Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher at a transfer fee of £18 million. If signed, Kelleher will replace Mark Flekken, who will be joining Bayer Leverkusen for £9 million. Brentford isn't the only club that showed interest in buying Kelleher, but West Ham, Leeds, and Bournemouth were in the queue. It is reported that Flekken will stay with Leverkusen until 2028, where he will be under former Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag, who was appointed in the role just days ago.
Brentford have been monitoring Kelleher for quite some time, and they even showed interest in him even before signing Mark Flekken. However, Liverpool was only willing to consider selling the 26-year-old after bringing in Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia last summer. While Brentford face competition from other clubs, including Leeds and West Ham, they maintain a solid relationship with Liverpool, having secured deals for Sepp van den Berg and Fabio Carvalho from Anfield last summer.
Caoimhin Kelleher, the hero of Liverpool's 2022 League Cup final
The deal between Brentford and Liverpool has been agreed on a certain note. According to the deal, Brentford agreed to receive the initial fee of £12.5 million, which will later increase to £18 million according to the performance bonus. Kelleher played a pivotal role in Liverpool’s 2022 League Cup final triumph over Chelsea, delivering several impressive saves and netting a penalty in the dramatic 11-10 shoot-out victory. He was also in goal for Liverpool’s 2024 League Cup final win, once again against Chelsea.
Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has been candid about his desire to see Kelleher leave Anfield in pursuit of regular playing time as a first-choice goalkeeper at another club. "I just want him to go to a club where he will play regularly. He has been playing at the highest level, whether it's the Champions League or the Premier League, and has done well. I just want him to be happy and play regularly," Hallgrimsson said.
