Former York City Young Player of the Year set to sign for Liverpool

Former York City defender Ben Davies is set to make a surprise deadline-day transfer to Liverpool.

The 25-year-old centre-back, in the final six months of his contract, is having a medical on Monday ahead of completing his move from Preston.

Liverpool will pay an initial £500,000, with a further £1.1million of add-ons structured into the deal.

Born in Barrow-in-Furness, he was signed up for Preston’s youth system aged 11, making his first-team debut in January 2013 when he was 17.

Davies came to York on loan for the 2013-14 season, initially for a month.

His stay was extended and he eventually played 47 matches for City, helping them to the League Two play-offs where they lost 1-0 on aggregate to Fleetwood.

He won the club’s Young Player of the Year Award that year. England and Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope was also a mainstay of that York side.

Liverpool have been so short of fit centre-backs this season that captain Jordan Henderson has been deployed there in recent weeks but Davies has emerged as the manager Jurgen Klopp’s surprise choice for an addition to the squad.

Because Davies was a loan player City will get no cash from the deal – unlike when former player Ben Godfrey joined Everton last year, which netted York a reported £2.5m.