Revealed: The £70m double deal that saw Chelsea wonderkid end up at Liverpool | OneFootball

Revealed: The £70m double deal that saw Chelsea wonderkid end up at Liverpool | OneFootball

Icon: Anfield Watch

Anfield Watch

·10 July 2024

Revealed: The £70m double deal that saw Chelsea wonderkid end up at Liverpool

Article image:Revealed: The £70m double deal that saw Chelsea wonderkid end up at Liverpool

Chelsea wonderkid Rio Ngumoha is expected to join Liverpool this summer with the 15-year-old set to sign a record-breaking scholar’s contract at Anfield.

Ngumoha, who turns 16 later this month, is one of the biggest talents in the Chelsea youth ranks and his departure is understood to have left the London side furious.


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However, thanks in part to Liverpool’s Carabao Cup victory last season which came against Chelsea at Wembley, Ngumoha is “motivated by the pathway and opportunities on offer” at the Reds, according to Lewis Steele of the Mail.

A breakthrough at Stamford Bridge had suddenly become a lot more difficult for the teenage attacking talent with Omari Kellyman bought from Aston Villa for around £20 million.

Two South American wonderkids, meanwhile, will come on board next summer after they turn 18.

Ngumoha Chelsea pathway blocked

Palmeiras prospect Estevao Willian and Ecuador sensation Kendry Paez will move to the Premier League giants for a combined fee of around £70m.

With those deals already fixed in place, it's left Ngumoha looking elsewhere for his chances.

Nonetheless, the England under-18 international’s imminent departure is understood to have left Chelsea higher-ups furious, according to HITC.

The club were confident of keeping Ngumoha on the books long term despite interest from not only Liverpool but Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City.

Liverpool acquiring teen talents

Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich - who signed Jamal Musiala from Chelsea’s youth ranks previously - were also thought to be tracking the teen ahead of this transfer window.

His signing is a significant coup for the Reds, who have made a habit of acquiring talent from the academies of other clubs in recent years.

Post-Brexit regulations have made it much more difficult to buy youth talents from the EU, which has led the Reds to signing players like Ben Doak and Trey Nyoni.

The Reds only just missed out on Ryan McAidoo, another Chelsea hopeful, who looks like he is close to a move to Manchester City.

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