Liverpool transfer news: Brentford agree £18m deal to sign Caoimhin Kelleher
Brentford have agreed an initial £12.5m deal with Liverpool for back-up goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher; the Bees have agreed in principle to sell Mark Flekken to Bayer Leverkusen; the two clubs have agreed a fee in the region of £11m for the Dutch international
Tuesday 3 June 2025 16:08, UK
Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher will have his medical at Brentford on Monday ahead of a initial £12.5m move.
Performance-related add-ons could take the eventual fee to £18m.
Meanwhile, Brentford's first-choice goalkeeper from last season Mark Flekken is also expected to go undergo his Bayer Leverkusen medical today, according to Sky in Germany.
Brentford are expected to receive £11m for the 31-year-old, Sky Sports News has reported. Flekken has agreed to sign a deal until 2028 at Leverkusen, where he will link up with former Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag.
Kelleher is someone Brentford have tracked for a long time and they were interested before they signed Flekken, but Liverpool have only been open to selling him since securing Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia last summer.
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Brentford have been facing competition from other clubs for Kelleher, 26, including from Leeds and West Ham, but Thomas Frank's side have a strong relationship with Liverpool having secured Sepp van den Berg and Fabio Carvalho from Anfield last summer.
For an initial net outlay of £1.5m, Brentford are replacing a goalkeeper who is 32 in 12 days for a 26-year-old from Liverpool - a shrewd piece of business from Brentford's director of football Phil Giles and technical director Lee Dykes.
Analysis: Kelleher deserves chance to shine
Sky Sports' Sam Blitz:
Even though he was Alisson Becker's No 2 at Anfield, Kelleher played his part in Liverpool's title success. He featured 10 times in the Premier League as he covered for the Brazilian through injury and unavailability.
And Kelleher performed very well, finishing in the top dozen goalkeepers for save percentage and passes completed, which is what a Brentford goalkeeper needs to do quite a bit of.
That's because Mark Flekken - who Kelleher will replace as the Bees' No 1 - finished top out of all Premier League goalkeepers in those two metrics. Brentford allow lots of shots on goal, while they also play a mix of clever direct long balls or risky passes out the back to soak up pressure.
So Kelleher finishing second to Flekken in passes attempted per 90 last season is a positive sign. With countryman Nathan Collins also an important part of the Brentford defence, it feels like a well-suited move for both goalkeeper and his new club.
Hallgrimsson wants to see Kelleher move
Republic of Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson spoke openly about wanting Kelleher to leave Anfield in search of regular minutes as a first-choice goalkeeper elsewhere.
Kelleher, capped 22 times for his country already, secured his second Premier League title with the Reds this season but only started 10 games with Alisson ahead of him in the pecking order.
"I just want him to go to a club where he will play on a regular basis," said Hallgrimsson earlier in May.
"He has been playing at the highest level, whether it's the Champions League or the Premier League, and done really well. I just want him to be happy and playing regularly.
"I know he wants to be playing at the highest level. I guess - I don't know for sure - he will be playing at the highest level.
"He has spoken about that himself. I don't mind [where], so long as he's playing on a regular basis because he is too good not to be playing."
Kayode signs for Brentford
Brentford are looking to get their business in the summer window done early after already confirming the signing of Michael Kayode on a five-year deal. The club also have an option to extend his contract by an additional 12 months.
Kayode began a half-season loan with the club from Fiorentina in January, which has now been made permanent until at least 2030.
On signing his new contract, the 20-year-old defender said: "I am so excited to extend my stay at Brentford.
"I have felt so welcome from the first day I arrived at the club, thanks to my team-mates and the care the coaching staff have shown me.
"I've wanted to play in the Premier League since I was a child and it's been so good to do that here. I can't wait for more next season and beyond!"
Follow the transfer window on Sky Sports
The first of two summer transfer windows is upon us - and there is no better place than Sky Sports to get all the latest transfer news and rumours.
Use the Sky Sports app and website for all your updates in our dedicated Transfer Centre and Premier League club blogs, plus live Q&As with our reporters throughout the summer.
The Transfer Show returns to Sky Sports News from Sunday June 1 for the start of the pre-Club World Cup window and will then be on every weeknight at 5pm and 7pm until the deadline on Tuesday June 10.
The summer transfer window will open again on Monday June 16 until Monday September 1 - with the deadline brought forward to 7pm this year.
