This is a bizarre situation… the Reds are effectively having to bid money for our own player. Danny Ings has already agreed terms with us and is, for all intents and purposes, a Liverpool player.
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However, as most Reds fans will know by now, there is still the small matter of a compensation fee to be agreed. So, despite the fact that the 22-year-old will join us on a free transfer when his Burnley contract expires, his age means that the Clarets are still entitled to a monetary value.
This value is set to be decided by a tribunal but we are seeking to avoid that by agreeing terms with the club themselves. According to the Daily Mirror, Burnley have already turned down a £4m offer but we’ve now come back with a new, £6m bid.
So why do we want to avoid leaving the decision to a tribunal? After all, the record fee a tribunal has ever handed down is the £6.5m they asked Chelsea pay for Manchester City youngster – and now Liverpool favourite – Daniel Sturridge in 2009 (via The Telegraph).
Well, Tottenham’s £12m bid for the striker – which was made shortly before he agreed terms with Liverpool – has made the situation more complicated (via Sky Sports). Their offer has raised Ings’ projected value and could result in the tribunal making us pay closer to the £10m Burnley are after.
Nonetheless, as the Mirror explains, we’re still in a strong position. Hull were ordered to pay £2.3m to Blackpool for Tom Ince by a tribunal last year, when the Seasiders wanted £8m for the winger.