Liverpool's buyback clause for on-fire striker matching Mo Salah's goals

The form of Dominic Solanke has been one of the surprise stories of the Premier League season.

The 26-year-old Bournemouth striker has 12 goals in just 18 games to date – including five in his last three outings.

He's already doubled his previous best return in the top flight and we're not even in January.

Only Erling Haaland has more goals than the one-cap England international, who is level in the Premier League top scorers' charts alongside Mohamed Salah.

In fact, Solanke's league tally of 12 is currently the same as Liverpool trio Darwin Nuñez, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo combined.

With the Euros just six months away, Solanke's form will surely have been noticed by Gareth Southgate – who gave the forward his senior debut in a friendly against Brazil way back in 2017.

It's a reality few would've imagined for Solanke, who – at one point – appeared destined to become a player caught between the top flight and the Championship.

However, under the guidance of Andoni Iraola, the former Liverpool man – who scored just once during his time at Anfield – is looking every bit like a leading Premier League number nine.

According to one report, Arsenal are even monitoring Solanke ahead of the January window as an alternative to top target Ivan Toney.

Should the 26-year-old earn a big move any time soon, Liverpool will be the secondary winners of any deal – potentially netting millions.

As reported by the Liverpool Echo, then sporting director Michael Edwards negotiated a 20% sell-on clause, in addition to the upfront £19m fee and add-ons, as part of the deal that saw the striker move to Bournemouth back in 2019.

That deal has long been seen as one of the shrewdest pieces of business by Liverpool's former transfer chief, representing a remarkable return on investment for a player who arrived at Anfield from Chelsea for a tribunal fee set at around £3m.

On top of that – and perhaps even more intriguingly – the same Echo report also claims that as well as the sell-on clause, Liverpool maintain a buyback option on Solanke.

It is not stated how much the Reds would need to offer in order to exercise this clause, or whether there is an expiry on its validity. However, the inclusion of such a clause is interesting and highlights how Liverpool still valued Solanke's potential, despite his struggles to break into Jurgen Klopp's first team as a youngster.

The Bournemouth striker joined the Reds back in the summer of 2017, fresh from winning the Under-20 World Cup with England in South Korea, where he was awarded the Golden Ball for the tournament's best player.

Solanke played a bit-part role in his one season under Klopp, starting just five times in the Premier League and scoring his only goal for the club on the last day of the 2017/18 season in a 4-0 win over Brighton.

He joined Bournemouth that summer and is now into his sixth season with the Cherries.