Brentford have announced the signing of Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, just an hour after confirming the sale of fellow shot-stopper Mark Flekken to Bayer Leverkusen.
Flekken has put pen to paper on a three-year contract with the Bundesliga club, who have allegedly agreed to pay the Bees a fee in the region of £11m (€13m) inclusive of add-ons.
The 31-year-old former Freiburg goalkeeper returns to his native Germany after deciding to end his two-year spell at the Gtech Community Stadium, where he made 77 appearances across all competitions, keeping 15 clean sheets.
"Mark has proven to be a seamless replacement for David Raya, who set an extremely high standard during his years with us," Brentford's director of football Phil Giles told the club's official website.
We can confirm that Mark Flekken has completed a permanent move to Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen for an undisclosed fee
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) June 3, 2025
Thank you for everything and all the best in the future, Mark 👊
"We were expecting Mark to be our goalkeeper for many more years. However, when Bayer Leverkusen made it known that they wanted to do this transfer, and Mark made it clear that he was interested in moving closer to home and with a possibility of Champions League football, we turned our attention towards how all parties could make this happen.
"Mark has done a great job for us and leaves with our thanks and support."
Brentford have wasted little time to bring in a replacement, as they moved quickly to fend off competition from other Premier League clubs to sign Republic of Ireland international Kelleher from Liverpool for an initial £12.5m, which could rise to £18m based on performance-related add-ons.
Kelleher, who had previously been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Bournemouth and West Ham United, has signed a five-year contract with Brentford, who also have an option to extend his stay by a further 12 months.
Kelleher completes permanent move to Brentford
Fáilte, Caoimhín 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/gABMjf6oKV
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) June 3, 2025
The 26-year-old leaves Liverpool as a two-time Premier League winner, while he has also lifted two EFL Cups, one FA Cup and one Champions League across his six-year spell at Anfield.
After starting only 10 Premier League games in Liverpool's title-winning 2024-25 campaign, and with new Reds shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili set to rival Alisson Becker for the No.1 jersey under Arne Slot next season, Kelleher has decided to seek pastures new in search of regular first-team football.
"I'm buzzing, I'm really happy to be here," Kelleher told Brentford's official website. "I don't think it was very difficult for me to leave [Liverpool]. I felt for my own career that the time was right for me to go, to be a No.1 and to play every week.
The boy from Blackrock is a Bee 🐝 pic.twitter.com/vSyZeCCdk3
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) June 3, 2025
"I heard of some interest a number of weeks ago. Once I knew Brentford was in for me, it was definitely one I was really excited about and wanted to do as quickly as possible.
"When I come back for pre-season, all focus will be on what I want to do next year; to work on certain goals and what I need to improve on, and to have a really good season for Brentford."
Brentford chief Phil Giles added: "I am very pleased to welcome Caoimhin to Brentford. We have scouted him in the past and were aware that he had a year to go on his contract with Liverpool this summer.
"When Mark Flekken had the opportunity to move to Bayer Leverkusen, we immediately thought about Caoimhin as his replacement.
"As well as being a very good goalkeeper, I've rarely met a player for whom everybody has such positive words to say about his personality and character. I'm therefore confident he'll be an excellent addition to the squad."
Kelleher - Brentford's second summer signing after the permanent arrival of defender Michael Kayode - is set to be immediately installed as Thomas Frank's new first-choice goalkeeper for next season, with Hakon Rafn Valdimarsson providing backup as a number two.
Oliver Thomas
