Liverpool's rivals accused of acting like 'robber on the road' as Michael Olise terms 'agreed'

Shakhtar Donetsk chief executive Serhiy Palkin has accused Liverpool’s Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur of taking advantage of the war in Ukraine.

Manor Solomon moved to Spurs on a free transfer last summer after FIFA allowed all non-Ukrainian nationals playing in the country to suspend their contracts. Solomon was under contract at Shakhtar until the end of 2023.

The Ukrainian champions believe they should have been granted a fee or a sizeable sell-on clause should the winger be sold in the future. According to the Telegraph, Shakhtar had been in talks with Tottenham director Rebecca Caplehorn but they have now ended and are considering legal action.

Palkin told the newspaper: “I am feeling very bad towards Tottenham,” said Palkin. “I cannot believe this kind of club with a huge history – not just European level, world level – that they can behave like this. From my point of view, it’s not acceptable behaviour. They have taken advantage of the war.

“Maybe if this was a very small club in Europe with not much money or whatever, maybe I could understand it. But Tottenham? Tottenham. How is it possible?

“It’s very strange that everybody says we are one football family, when one of the top clubs receives a player free of charge and the market value of this player is up to €25 million (£21.15 million). We invested in this player and developed this player for this kind of value.

“I even said to Tottenham: ‘Guys, I don’t need money for him now. Let’s have some kind of sell-on fee in the future like 30 or 40 per cent. That would be enough for us.’ But they said: ‘No, no, we cannot give you. We’ll give you 10 per cent.’ I said: ‘Guys, that’s not serious.’ Giving us 10 per cent is not respectful. You behave not like the football family. You behave like a robber on the road. It’s not correct. Therefore, at this moment we will see the next steps.

“We have stopped any negotiations with Tottenham. We are concentrating on a court case against Lyon and we will see the result of that and after that we will make a decision about what kind of steps we will take against Tottenham.”

Tottenham refused to comment when asked by the Telegraph.

Olise ‘terms agreed’

Meanwhile, teamTALK reports that Chelsea have agreed personal terms with Michael Olise.

The Crystal Palace forward has been linked with a swathe of clubs in the summer transfer window, including Liverpool. But Chelsea are said to be the frontrunners for Olise, who scored 10 goals and recorded six assists in just 14 Premier League starts in the 2023-24 season.

It is suggested that the Stamford Bridge side are ‘prepared to pay above the odds’ to sign the France youth international. A price tag of £60-70 million has been mooted.