Luca Stephenson enjoyed another standout season on loan at Dundee United, but Liverpool are expected to price the Scottish club out of a permanent deal.
Stephenson, 22, rejoined Dundee United for a second loan spell last summer having signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool.
He went on to make 33 appearances for the Tangerines this season – now over prematurely due to injury – scoring five goals and assisting another five along with wearing the captain’s armband against Motherwell in February.
While he is settled in Scotland and is, remarkably, the fourth-highest appearance-maker in their squad, manager Jim Goodwin has doubts over a permanent transfer.
“Can he come back again? Honestly, my feeling is that Luca wants to be somewhere permanently,” Goodwin told The Courier.
“He has been on loan for a few successive seasons – his time at Dundee United is the longest he’s stayed anywhere for a considerable period – and I’d expect him to want that stability and chance to kick on.
“Luca is under contract at Liverpool and, given how well he’s done here, I think that would be a considerable transfer fee.”
While Stephenson – who will undergo his early rehabilitation from a serious hamstring injury with Dundee United before returning – has figured prominently in pre-seasons under Arne Slot, he is unlikely to figure in his long-term plans.
The expectation is that he will therefore leave on a permanent basis this summer and, as Goodwin points out, Liverpool are in a strong position having agreed a new contract before his second move to Tannadice.
Why Dundee United will be priced out of Luca Stephenson race
Both Rangers and Celtic have been credited with an interest in the utility player while there will be no shortage of suitors in the Championship either.
Dundee United’s record signing was back in 1995, when Steven Pressley arrived from Coventry in a deal worth £750,000, with the club’s top transfers ever since barely breaking the £500,000 mark.
Liverpool would almost certainly look for a seven-figure fee if Stephenson is sold this summer and that would likely rule his loan club out of the equation.
The chances are that, if fit, he will be involved in pre-season again this summer, with the first-team squad set to be short of numbers with the majority involved at the World Cup.
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