Liverpool have rejected an offer from a fellow Premier League club for one of their players on deadline day.
The Daily Mail reported that Nottingham Forest tabled a bid worth £15m for Caoimhin Kelleher, but that was swiftly knocked back by Anfield chiefs due to a reluctance to sell the 25-year-old, who they value at a minimum of £20m.
The goalkeeper is highly rated within the Merseyside club and don’t want to cash in on him given his importance to the squad as the immediate backup to Alisson Becker.
At Kelleher’s age, it’d be understandable if he wishes to move elsewhere and establish himself as an undisputed first-choice, having continually had to be patient for opportunities behind a teammate who could be considered the world’s best player in his position.
However, Liverpool are right to give short shrift to Forest’s £15m offer, particularly if they value the 25-year-old at a higher amount and would have no time to replace him prior to the January transfer window closing at 11pm tonight.
The Irishman has made a dozen appearances for the Reds this season, primarily in the Europa League and Carabao Cup (Transfermarkt), and he’s set to start in the final of the latter competition against Chelsea later this month as a reward for his displays in getting us to Wembley.
Also, Jurgen Klopp is a huge admirer of the Cork native, describing him as ‘an exceptional goalkeeper’ who performs at ‘incredibly high levels’ (Echo Live)
Kelleher might feel like going elsewhere in the summer, particularly if the next Liverpool manager would prefer to bring in their own alternative to Alisson, but we can be glad that the Irish netminder looks set to stay for the remainder of this campaign at least.