Special meeting confirmed between Michael Edwards and £30m winger

Liverpool might not have made any signings in January, but a number of big transfer decisions were made throughout the month.

Anfield Watch understands that a bid was made for Darwin Nunez by Saudi club Al-Hilal, while Real Madrid made a formal bid for Trent Alexander-Arnold which the club declined as they try to persuade the world-class right-back to extend his contract.

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In addition, a number of important loan moves were agreed upon, such as sending Jayden Danns to Sunderland for the remainder of the season, in an effort to afford him some regular game time, while the Black Cats attempt to secure promotion into the Premier League.

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But behind the scenes, the recruitment hierarchy was also busy assessing the players who the club should focus on bringing in and the players who might need to be moved on from the club.

One such player who fits into that bracket is Ben Doak, who has been excelling during his loan spell at Middlesbrough. New reports have suggested that Michael Edwards even went to meet him in December to better understand the youngster's situation.

Club to assess Doak's chances of future at Liverpool

According to James Pearce at The Athletic, Ben Doak is very much a player on Liverpool's radar, so much so that Michael Edwards travelled to Middlesbrough to get an update on the 19-year-old's progress.

The report reads: "The morning after Arne Slot’s side drew 3-3 with Newcastle United at St James’ Park in December, Fenway Sports Group’s chief executive of football Michael Edwards and the club’s technical director Julian Ward paid a visit to see the Scotland international at Middlesbrough’s Rockliffe Park training base.

"They chatted to the 19-year-old winger, Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick and first-team coach Jonathan Woodgate about his spell in the North East.

"...Bids from Crystal Palace (£15million) and Ipswich Town (£16m) were rejected in January with Liverpool keen for him to stay put for the rest of the season. The plan is that he will return to Kirkby for pre-season ready to stake a claim for inclusion in Slot’s squad."

Once Crystal Palace's bid for Doak was rejected, it was reported that a potential £30m bid for the player was in the offing which is how much the Reds valued him for, but no such approach was made and in the end, it was decided that the best way for Doak to continue to develop was to remain at Boro this season.

RousingTheKop reported last month that Arne Slot does not see Doak in his plans, although it is clear from the Athletic's update that no such decision on his long-term future has been made as of yet.

Across the season, the 19-year-old has three goals and seven assists in Michael Carrick's playoff-chasing side and after impressing in a number of standout performances already this campaign, we are about to see what Doak is really made of as we enter the run-in.

Liverpool are set to lose Mohamed Salah this season unless his expiring contract is renewed before June and although Doak is an incredibly young prospect with lots of developing to do before he becomes a mature asset to utilise in Liverpool's first-team regularly, Doak will likely be considered by Slot in next season's plans.

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Nonetheless, it is clear that the club has one hell of a player on their hands and wherever he is destined to play next season, it is clear that Doak is one of the brightest youngsters in the game right now and Edwards and Ward are fascinated by him.

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