Arne Slot has dropped a major transfer hint over one of Liverpool's players following their absence from first-team training on Friday.
Reds youngster Ben Doak had been involved in the club's pre-season tour of the United States in recent weeks and featured in all three games against Real Betis, Arsenal and Manchester United . However, The 18-year-old will play no part against Sevilla and Las Palmas at Anfield on Sunday.
The teenager was not involved in the pre-match preparations at the AXA Training Center on Friday afternoon, according to the ECHO , where a 26-man squad was put through its paces by Slot ahead of this weekend's double-header.
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It all but signifies a major hint at Doak's impending departure from the club this summer, having been linked with a season-long loan move to Premier League newboys Leicester City and Southampton .
The Scotsman's absence on Friday now points towards that impending exit, with both sides keen to further strengthen their squads ahead of the first round of Premier League fixtures next weekend.
It was also recently revealed that fellow top flight side Brentford is also in the running to snap up Doak , as reported by the Express , while Scottish champions Celtic continues to maintain its interest in the winger.
While Liverpool would prefer to send Doak out on loan in order to keep him on the books ahead of next season, it's also claimed the club is open-minded and not ruling out any deal that might involve a permanent buy clause.
Despite strong interest from both Leicester and Southampton, Celtic is rumored to be the front-runners for Doak's signature, with the Glasgow giants keen to bring back their academy product. The dynamic forward was snapped up by Liverpool last year for just £600,000, but found game time hard to come by under Jurgen Klopp .
Injuries also limited him to just a handful of appearances across all competitions, with the Scottish international tallying just five games under his belt last season - although three of those came as starts in the Europa League group stage against LASK, Toulouse and Union SG.
Now, however, it seems as though Liverpool has made the choice to let Doak chase consistent playing time away from Anfield in the forthcoming 2024/25 campaign, with opportunities potentially available at Brentford , Leicester or Southampton, and Celtic.
Also absent from first-team training on Friday were fellow youngsters Kaide Gordon , Owen Beck, James McConnell , Luca Stephenson, Trey Nyoni , Amara Nallo, Harvey Blair, Harvey Davies and Marcelo Pitaluga, along with injured duo Jayden Danns and Bobby Clark .
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