Why are Liverpool selling Harry Wilson?

Stefan Bienkowski

• 24 Jul 2021 13:07 BST
• 3 min read

We’re now well and truly in the midst of the summer transfer window and that means players are coming and going with some regularity at Europe’s biggest clubs.

Liverpool are naturally no exception to this, having already signed up a number of new players for the forthcoming season.

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Of course, the Anfield giants have also begun cutting the fat from Jurgen Klopp’s squad with one young forward now set to leave the club in the coming days.

According to the Sunday Times, Harry Wilson is on the cusp of agreeing a £12 million move to Fulham and should complete the deal shortly.

So why are Liverpool selling one of their own youth products and a useful squad player ahead of another gruelling season?

He never proved to be good enough for Liverpool

Despite coming through the club’s youth academy as a promising player, Wilson is now 24 years of age and has yet to prove his worth to Liverpool’s first team.

That’s not to say that the forward hasn’t proved himself as a capable Premier League player. In a loan spell at Bournemouth, Wilson bagged no less than seven goals in 31 games. And in numerous loan spells in the English Championship, the Liverpool talent managed an impressive 29 goals and 19 assists in 90 league games.

As such, it’s clear why a club like Fulham would be willing to fork over £12m for the player, but with just two senior appearances for Liverpool to his name it has been clear for some time that Wilson simply isn’t up to standard of being a useful attacking option for Klopp.

The club need the money for new signings

While Liverpool are one of the biggest clubs in the world, that doesn’t mean the English side are immune from the financial pressures of the pandemic.

As such, the club have only managed to make one notable signing this summer - the £36m signing of Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig - and won’t likely make any more unless they can raise funds from player sales.

Taiwo Awoniyi has already been sold to Union Berlin for £5.85m and Wilson’s departure to Fulham will surely be the start of a longer process of cashing in on squad players that are no longer needed at Anfield.