Liverpool have officially completed the signing of 16-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha from Chelsea, with the transfer now ratified by the Premier League.
While Ngumoha’s move from Chelsea to Liverpool had been widely known since early July, the process faced delays due to the Premier League’s five-step review for youth signings.
Now, the deal is confirmed, as the young winger announced his switch on Instagram on Wednesday night. “Delighted to sign for Liverpool, YNWA,” Ngumoha wrote, expressing gratitude to his former club with the message, “thank you for everything Chelsea academy.”
According to James Pearce of The Athletic, the financial terms between the two clubs have yet to be finalized. It is likely a tribunal will be needed to settle on the final compensation amount owed to Chelsea for their role in Ngumoha’s development.
Though Ngumoha has joined Liverpool on a scholarship deal, compensation must still be paid to Chelsea as part of the regulations surrounding youth transfers. Despite this, Liverpool view the signing as a major win, particularly due to Ngumoha’s potential and talent, as he had already made his debut for Chelsea’s U21 team.
Ngumoha is expected to begin his journey at Liverpool in Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s U18 squad. He will be joined by Alvin Ayman, a midfielder recently signed from Wolves, whose transfer was confirmed last week.
There is speculation that both players could rise through the youth ranks quickly, much like Trey Nyoni and Amara Nallo, who made similar moves last season.
These recent signings reflect Liverpool’s focused strategy on domestic academy recruitment, particularly targeting top young talent from across the UK, following post-Brexit restrictions on signing overseas players under the age of 18.
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