Former Liverpool midfielder Bobby Clark‘s big-money switch to Salzburg has not panned out as hoped, with the youngster set to move again on deadline day.
Clark was the first of two players to follow Pepijn Lijnders from Liverpool to Salzburg in the summer and he looks set to be the second of those two to swiftly depart.
With Lijnders sacked in December, the 19-year-old came off the bench in new coach Thomas Letsch’s second game in charge but was then left out entirely in the 2-1 cup loss to LASK on Sunday.
That comes ahead of an expected transfer on deadline day, with BBC Sport among those to report that Swansea are one of the sides interested in a loan deal.
Derby and Hull have also been linked from the Championship along with Rangers, while in the summer there was interest from Sheffield United, Norwich, Leeds, Coventry and Celtic.
While it is likely a move Clark would be pushing for, an early exit from Salzburg will certainly be disappointing given how big a leap it was from the teenager.
With Lijnders and assistant Vitor Matos leaving in December, Stefan Bajcetic prompted the decision to cancel his loan and agree a new deal with Las Palmas.
Salzburg’s call to part ways with their head coach also clouded Clark’s future, despite the Austrian side committing one of their biggest-ever transfer fees to sign him in mid-August.
There would almost certainly have been more opportunities promised by Lijnders than there will be with the slate wiped clean under Letsch, however.
As well as making an £8.5 million profit, Liverpool agreed a 17.5 percent sell-on clause as part of their deal with Salzburg, while they also negotiated first refusal if the Austrian side do sell their No. 10.
Neither will be actionable when it comes to a loan move, of course, and there is no indication that Arne Slot would be looking to re-sign Clark in the future.
The youngster missed any chance of involvement in pre-season under Slot due to injury, with Trey Nyoni and later James McConnell among those to benefit from chances in his midfield this campaign.
