CAOIMHIN Kelleher’s boyhood club in Cork are set to make €3million (£2.5million) from his proposed move from Liverpool to Brentford.
The 26-year-old was given permission to leave Ireland camp yesterday in order to fly out to London and thrash out the finer details of a transfer to the Bees.
The Ireland number one famously started out as a striker with Ringmahon Rangers
GettyHe’s grown weary of having to play second fiddle behind Alisson at Anfield[/caption]
The fee is estimated to be around €16million (£13.4million). That figure is significant for the goalkeeper’s first club Ringmahon Rangers as they wisely included a 20 per cent sell-on clause in his first contract with them.
That impending seven-figure sum will set a new record for an amount received in one deal for an Irish club.
The previous high-point was the €2m Shamrock Rovers received outright from Man City in order to secure Kelleher’s Ireland rival Gavin Bazunu’s services.
Two years prior to that 2022 deal, Bohemians struck it rich as they garnered €1.7m from Matt Doherty’s move from Wolves to Spurs.
That instance was similar to Kelleher’s current arrangement as the Phibsboro club had smartly made a sell-on clause part of the terms of his exit to Wolverhampton.
St Patrick’s Athletic do stand to surpass both of those totals when Mason Melia makes his way to Tottenham for €2.1m in January.
Ringmahon Rangers, formed in 1951, are expected to use the incoming financial boost to overhaul its facilities for all age grades.
Per the Irish Examiner, atop its list of priorities will be extending the dressing rooms in order to facilitate its growing number of girls teams.
Yesterday at Ireland camp, his fellow Corkonian and Everton defender Jake O’Brien spoke of having no doubts Kelleher will prove his worth for the Bees.
O’Brien said: “It doesn’t take for me to say how good he is. I think everyone knows how good he is and what he’s achieved over the last couple of years.
“If it goes through, it’s a great move for him, to become a number one in the Premier League.
“It’s a great move for him, to go and play every week is very important and he’s more than good enough.
“Brentford have done well this season so it’s a club he can progress and do a lot at.
“I think everyone knows how good he is and how high his ceiling is. He can push on and do great things.
“He is number two at Liverpool but he’s obviously got a really good keeper ahead of him.
“He’s definitely up there with the keepers in the Premier League.
“And I think next year he’ll show that, that he’s up there with the best.
“I think he’s proven that in the games he has played for Liverpool, that he can be up there with some of the best keepers in the league.”
Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
