What has been a frustrating summer for Liverpool fans so far took a positive turn on Thursday, with news emerging that Dominik Szoboszlai is all set to sign a new contract with the Reds.
Szoboszlai was Liverpool‘s best player last season, and, after a steady start to life at Anfield, he has now developed into one of the best all-round midfielders in Europe.
Naturally, news of his imminent extension has been met with glee and excitement by supporters, and while it is great that he will not go deep into the final two years of his deal, recent history also suggests that Liverpool may just be protecting the Hungarian’s value ahead of a future sale.
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The Philippe Coutinho comparison
Part of the reason Liverpool fans have been worried about him going is because Szoboszlai very plainly dreams of playing for Real Madrid.
His national team manager, Italian Marco Rossi, has been quite candid in his comments about the Reds’ No. 8 being desperate to play for Madrid, while Szoboszlai himself has made no secret of his admiration for Los Blancos, and his friendship with Real superstar Vinicius Jnr.
Though the new contract gives Liverpool some protection against Madrid snatching another player at the end of his Anfield contract, it does not mean that flirtation with the Spanish giants will not continue.
A good recent comparison is that of Philippe Coutinho, who signed a new Liverpool contract in January 2017, after becoming the main man in Jurgen Klopp’s early Reds team.
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Seven months later, Coutinho was going on strike in order to force through a move to Barcelona, a club he’d dreamt of as a child, and who had made it clear they were prepared to sign him.
Liverpool ultimately managed to keep Coutinho until the January window, selling him for a whopping £142m. Had he not signed his new contract one year earlier, the Reds would not have banked anything close to that fee.
Obviously, no two situations are ever the same in football, but if Real come in hard for Szoboszlai in 12 months’ time, for example, it is not difficult to see a scenario where the move still happens.
Still, Madrid have become used to signing Liverpool players for peanuts. If they are to push to add the Hungary captain to their ranks, you’d imagine it would now cost them somewhere in the region of what Barca paid for Coutinho, perhaps even more.
Could Szoboszlai have a release clause in his contract?
After such a good season, and with time on his existing contract ticking down, Szoboszlai had a strong hand in negotiations with Liverpool this summer.
As a result, there has been some chatter on social media that the 25-year-old may have inserted a release clause into his new agreement, one that could only be triggered by certain clubs, Real Madrid being the main one.
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However, while that could well have been discussed, Liverpool famously do not agree to release clauses in players’ contracts.
The Reds lost Emre Can for nothing when they would not bend and add in an exit clause to a new deal, fearing that it would set a precedent for future negotiations. Eight years on, and nothing has seemingly changed.
So, while the inner-workings of Szoboszlai’s contract are unlikely to be released to the public, it seems unlikely that there would be a Madrid-specific clause woven in.
Having said that, Liverpool clearly knew the importance of tying down their star midfielder, and if that meant taking a risk on potential interest from Madrid, then maybe they have been willing to make an exception.
Either way, Szoboszlai is here to stay for now. But it may not be the happily ever after supporters are craving.
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