The Premier League transfer market has been out of control for some time now, with fees getting more and more ridiculous year on year.
This time, midfielders are seemingly wanted men, with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City ensuring that the market is now skewed for everyone else, completing mammoth deals for Mateus Fernandes and Elliot Anderson, with Sandro Tonali soon to follow.
At £85m, £100m and £116m, the three players are now some of the most expensive in English football history, and yet, their abilities arguably do not match the fees paid for them.
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It had us thinking, what would Liverpool‘s best midfielder, Dominik Szoboszlai, be worth in such a market? With two years left on his contract and constant rumblings of interest from Real Madrid, Rousing The Kop asked that very question to Reds fans on social media, with some predictable results.
Liverpool fans pessimistic over Szoboszlai fee
It is not really up for debate that Szoboszlai was better than Fernandes, Anderson and Tonali last season. The Hungarian also has a star quality that none of the expensive trio possess.
This was evident in the replies on RTK‘s X page, where serious suggestions put him in the £135-170m bracket.
However, despite most agreeing that Szoboszlai is worth more than even Anderson, many declared that Liverpool will not see a penny of that, predicting that the 25-year-old will head to Madrid for nothing in 2028.
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“£250m depending on length of current contract,” someone said. “Probably zero if Liverpool continue to do what they’ve been doing.”
“Depends on who’s buying…,” another supporter added. “If it’s Real, they’ll wait until he’s a free agent.”
“How about you extend him now and put the 200M release clause on him then,” one more fan weighed in. “Otherwise he walks to Madrid on a free.”
“And yet he will still go to Madrid on a free in 24 months,” was another comment, while someone else added: “Interesting conversation to be had in 12 months if Liverpool fail to extend his contract.”
Over on RTK‘s Facebook page, fans were similarly pessimistic that Liverpool would ever see the true value of Szoboszlai paid back.
You’re Richard Hughes, how are you responding when Real Madrid call to ask about Szoboszlai?
What price are you quoting?
“The problem about Liverpool is that apart from the Coutinho and Diaz deal we have never made a huge player sale. Our players always use us as a stepping stone to move freely to the Spanish giants,” one supporter fumed.
“Nothing because Madrid will get him for free soon,” summed up another.
Though supporters generally felt that Szoboszlai should be worth considerably more than his fellow Premier League midfielders, it is clear that they harbour worries that he will follow Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahima Konate in leaving for nothing, or next to nothing.
If they cannot find a breakthrough in contract talks this summer, Liverpool will have a serious decision to make over Szoboszlai in a year’s time, where he is unlikely to command anything like the fee fans think he is worth.
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