Transfer talk: Ozan Kabak takes medical ahead of Liverpool move, Ben Davies a done deal from Preston

Ollie Irish

1st, February 2021

Schalke centre-back Ozan Kabak (pictured) was linked with a move to Spurs last year. At the time, I wrote a bit about him:

Kabak, 20, is seen as something of a prodigy in his native Turkey. He came up through Galatasaray’s youth ranks and signed a pro contract with them aged 17. Since then his career has moved quickly. He was signed by Stuttgart on a long-term contract in 2019 but just six months later was poached by Schalke for a fee of €15m. A move to Spurs (his release clause is supposedly in the £40m ballpark) would be another step up the ladder of European football for Kabak.

I don’t pretend to have seen him play, apart from some YouTube stuff, but he’s said to be improving fast since his time at Galatasaray, and has developed into one of the Bundesliga’s most commanding young centre-backs – he does seem to be very strong in the air and have a good reading of the game, like his hero Virgil van Dijk.

Kabak never did end up in north London under the stifling wing of Jose Mourinho – he dodged a bullet there (yes, I’m still bitter about the manner of the Brighton defeat) – but he does look very likely to join Liverpool before the close of this transfer window. He was seen arriving at Schalke’s medical centre this morning, and there have been no reports that he is injured – therefore everyone is assuming it was his medical before joining Liverpool (on loan with an option to buy, it’s been reported).

Schalke would need to cover Kabak’s absence, so this still might not happen. Germany’s transfer deadline is 5pm today.

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One deal that does appear to be done is Liverpool’s bid for Preston defender Ben Davies (with Liverpool’s 19-year-old Dutch defender Sepp van den Berg moving across to Preston on loan). Davies had his medical this morning, and as long as it went okay, he should now be a Liverpool player. The fee is £2m.

Imagine Davies’ emotions right now. The 25-year-old Englishman has had spells at York, Southport, Newport and Fleetwood in recent years. And suddenly he’s a Liverpool player. His heart must be thumping.