The departure of Celtic midfielder Ben Doak has all but been confirmed after the 16-year-old agreed a deal in principle with Liverpool.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that sources close to the Reds have revealed that the teenager has now come to an agreement with the Premier League side ahead of his well-reported switch from Parkhead to Anfield.

The report goes on to state that Jurgen Klopp's side will pay Celtic around £600k in compensation for the attack-minded midfielder, who made his first-team debut for the Bhoys against Dundee United earlier this year.

Bad news for Celtic

Considering how high the hopes for Doak were in Glasgow, the news that the Scotland U17 international looks as if his departure will be confirmed in the near future is undoubtedly bad news for Ange Postecoglou and his Celtic side.

Speaking about the youngster's move south of the border, finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley recently explained to Football Insider that, due to FIFA regulations, the Bhoys are always at risk of losing their most promising talents to English sides.

Plumley said: "It's largely because of FIFA regulations. England and Scotland are classed as different countries and they can settle on a compensation fee that is far lower than a transfer fee.

"Celtic do this in reverse as well, so you have to be mindful of it in this model. The player has a choice to stay at Celtic and develop into a £20m-plus player or move on and do the same at another club.

"Celtic have to be aware that big clubs will be looking at their players and are well placed to capitalise. For every [Kieran] Tierney you manage to keep and sell for a big fee, you might have a few of these along the way."

Indeed, Doak very much looked to be heading down the same path Tierney was on back in 2015 - when the left-back made his Celtic debut as a 17-year-old against Dundee FC, with the defender bursting onto the scene before eventually sealing a £25m move to Arsenal four years later.

However, while Doak - who Bhoys Analytics dubbed a "generational talent" - did make his Celtic bow earlier this year, it now looks as if the midfielder will make his switch to the Premier League a great deal sooner than his predecessor as the Hoops' next big thing.

As such, it is clear for all to see why the 16-year-old's departure is bad news for the Premiership leaders, as not only will Celtic miss out on a potentially huge transfer fee further down the line, but also the services of an exceptionally talented young playmaker during his development.

AND in other news: Sold at £1.8m, now worth £25m: Celtic had a nightmare on "imposing" £48k-p/w machine