Liverpool's small Bobby Clark detail confirms interesting new FSG transfer approach

Liverpool is spinning huge profit from the youth ranks this summer, cashing in on a number of up-and-coming talents. The latest confirmed departure is Bobby Clark, and one interesting aspect of the transfer should not be overlooked .

While there has been a slight hiatus, the approach of selling Academy stars and other young players is not especially new for FSG . During the first Michael Edwards spell, Liverpool funded a number of first-team additions with smart sales of the likes of Rhian Brewster, Harry Wilson and Danny Ward.

Edwards is now back in the FSG fold, and it seems Richard Hughes is set to follow a similar path in his capacity as sporting director. The next step, crucially, will be reinvesting the money in Arne Slot's first team, which is yet to happen.

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Of course, the strategy comes with risk as well as reward. By definition, Liverpool is selling players for whom it once had very high hopes, and who still have plenty of time to come good on their potential.

There is an obvious risk of a Chelsea situation. The Blues previously allowed Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne to depart, and that duo are now the standout talents of the Premier League .

But so far, Liverpool has walked the tightrope well. There have been no burning regrets; Dominic Solanke did well at Bournemouth, and recently earned a move to Spurs, but the Reds won't feel as though they allowed a generational striker to slip away.

Further entrenching the belief that the Solanke deal worked for all parties, Liverpool got a bonus windfall this summer after his transfer to Tottenham. That's thanks to a sell-on clause Edwards inserted into the original deal.

This is more or less standard practice at Liverpool when selling young players. Unsurprisingly, there's a similar clause in Clark's transfer to Red Bull Salzburg.

However, what's really interesting is that Liverpool has also included a "match rights" agreement, per Paul Joyce . This is a novel mechanism for FSG, and signals a new transfer approach.

Essentially, such an agreement will allow Liverpool to come in and match any future bid for Clark. It's not quite as effective as a buy-back clause, but it gives the Reds a degree of insurance in the event that the 19-year-old comes on leaps and bounds in Austria to the extent where they want him back.

Combined with the sell-on fee, Liverpool could "match" any bid at an effective discount. It's a neat setup.

Obviously, Liverpool does not plan on using it. If it fully envisaged Clark being good enough for the first team in the future, it would not have sold him.

But agreeing a deal with this kind of clause suggests that Liverpool is widening the pool of young players who are for sale at the right price. Clark is being sold in spite of the continuing high esteem in which he is held.

And under the FSG business model, this seems like a smart move. Liverpool is run self-sufficiently, and moves like the Clark deal unlock a major revenue stream — with a sufficient degree of protection in case the Reds ever need to eat humble pie and re-sign someone they let go.