Premier League duo Liverpool and Brighton are battling to sign Kacper Kozlowski but the Poland international will not be sold for less than £7 million, Pogon director Dariusz Adamczuk tells Radio Szczencin.
There’s little chance of that, it seems.
According to reports coming out of Poland, both Liverpool and Brighton are willing to pay more than £7 million for one of the most talented young midfielders in Eastern Europe, one labelled the Ekstraklasa’s answer to Kevin de Bruyne.
Brighton are offering £8 million. Liverpool, in response, have put £10 million on the table.
And with a bidding war threatening to break out, it seems a distinct possibility that Kozlowski will become not only the most expensive export in Pogon’s history but the whole of Poland’s top-flight.
“Negotiations are not finished yet,” says Adamczuk. “But (his transfer fee) will certainly be more than two times higher than for Adam Buksa or Sebastian Walukiewicz.”
Buksa and Walukiewicz departed for fees in the region of £3.5 million. You do the math.
Is Kacper Kozlowski joining Liverpool or Brighton?
Kozlowski only turned 18 in October but he is already one of the first names on the Pogon Szczencin team-sheet, scoring three goals and setting up four more this season.
The gifted attacking midfielder also has six caps for the Poland national team, earning the admiration of none other than Robert Lewandowski.
Earlier this week, Adamczuk admitted that talks regarding a move to the Premier League were underway.
Unfortunately, he did not confirm whether Liverpool or Brighton would be Kozlowski’s eventual destination.
“Nothing is a foregone conclusion but it will be very hard to keep Kacper,” he said. “We are fighting for him to stay with us but it might be hard.”
“We are in talks with an English club. I think that, by making this choice, Kacper went in the direction that it would not be a top club.”
It is that final line that raises the most intrigue. Not a ‘top club’? Does that mean Kozlowski will follow in the footsteps of Michal Karbownik and Jakub Moder at Brighton, choosing the Seagulls over title-challengers Liverpool.
Interestingly, Poland team-mate Maciej Rybus admitted recently that Kozlowski had already agreed a move to an unnamed English club.
All should be revealed over the next few weeks.
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