Bobby Clark only left Liverpool for Salzburg in August, but the 20-year-old could land his former club another payout having already attracted “a lot of offers.”
Liverpool sold Clark to Salzburg in a deal worth £10 million last summer, with the young midfielder linking up with Pepijn Lijnders in Austria.
But with Lijnders sacked in December his situation has changed drastically, and a loan move to the Championship had been slated in the winter transfer window.
While that did not pan out, there is a strong chance that Clark departs Salzburg in the summer, and if he is sold it could be worth a sizeable amount for Liverpool.
The two clubs agreed a 17.5 percent sell-on clause as part of the Englishman’s transfer in August, which means the Reds would be entitled to that percentage of any sale.
According to Clark’s father, former Newcastle midfielder Lee Clark, the No. 10 had “a lot of offers” in January and would “probably like” a move back to the UK.
“Who knows? There was lots of speculation in January,” Clark Sr. told the Chronicle.
“I think there were a lot of offers put to Red Bull from various British clubs. But I don’t think the deal was right for all the parties so it didn’t happen.
“We’ll see what goes on. He went to Salzburg because he had a lot of respect for Pep Lijnders. He lost his job and it can change the dynamics. But he has a long-term contract at Red Bull and we will see what happens next.
“I would imagine at some time in his career there will be opportunities to come back to the UK. And he’d probably like to do that.
“I have not sat down and spoken with him on that, but it could be a possibility.”
Liverpool also hold first refusal over any future transfer for Clark, though that would mean matching any offers from other clubs if they did intend to re-sign the youngster.
First, though, the plan is to take part in this summer’s Club World Cup with Salzburg, which Clark Sr. pointedly described as a chance for “more exposure for the future.”
“This has still been an unbelievable experience for him, moving abroad and to a high-profile club,” he added.
“Red Bull is an unbelievable organisation. Salzburg are trying to win the league which is always their aim, if not to get into Champions League again.
“It has been hard, the manager he went and signed for lost his job so it was the first time Bobby experienced that.
“In a short space of time as a young professional, he has experienced a lot of ups and downs. It has been a terrific move for him, both for learning and exposure he’s had.”
