Silly season continues as Liverpool receive bid for Jordan Ibe

Liverpool have reportedly accepted a bid from AFC Bournemouth for England Under 21’s winger Jordan Ibe.

The 20-year-old had been tipped to fill the void created by Raheem Sterling’s move to Manchester City but endured a hard 2015/16 campaign.

Ibe had been earmarked as the natural replacement at Anfield for Raheem Sterling after he made a £49m move to Manchester City last summer.

Ibe has been given permission to speak to the Cherries after a 2015-16 season that saw him make only 12 Premier League starts for the Reds.

After allowing Matt Ritchie to join Championship side Newcastle last week, Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe is looking to bring in reinforcements to his squad after last season’s successful campaign, with Howe masterminding their Premier League survival in the form of a 16th-place finish.

The custom is more common on the continent, where Real Madrid and Barcelona frequently ensure first-refusal on highly-rated young players who leave for regular football elsewhere.

Yesterday, Liverpool Echo reported that the Reds are to pursue buy-back clauses for any youngsters who fly Jurgen Klopp’s nest.

However, the German boss believes that the winger should at lest be given the chance to talk to Bournemouth about a move and has accepted their bid.