Liverpool signing links up with new teammates as familiar transfer pattern could repeat
Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Liverpool.com or go back to LFC Live.
Liverpool has revamped its defensive options at youth level in recent months, with Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe among those to arrive at the club as highly rated prospectsIfeanyi Ndukwe of Austria during the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in November 2025.(Image: Jurij Kodrun - FIFA via Getty Images)New Liverpool signing Ifeanyi Ndukwe, the young center-back that Liverpool completed a deal for in January ahead of the summer, has reported to the AXA Training Centre for the first time.The Reds' academy side's pre-season began today, ahead of the first team beginning to come back next week, with the likes of Jayden Danns and Calvin Ramsay also present. Ndukwe, a talented 18-year-old, arrives from Austria Vienna in a deal worth around $3.5 million (£2.6 million).According to Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool has also now sealed the signing of 16-year-old center-back Dara Jikiemi from Celtic.
He can't sign professional terms until he is 18.Jikiemi has long been linked as an academy addition and would follow a pattern that also includes Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye, who came in from Senegal in the winter window.Liverpool has revamped its youth options at center-back in recent times, with Noah Adekoya coming in from Burnley to work under Rob Page, the former Wales boss who is now in charge of the U21s.Elsewhere, Liverpool.com reported in May that the Reds were closing in on a deal for the 17-year-old Colombian attacking midfielder Samuel Martinez, who currently plays for Atletico Nacional in his homeland.Liverpool U21s head coach Rob Page(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)Chelsea and Barcelona were among the European giants said to be keen on Martinez, who would move to England when he turns 18.In recent years, Liverpool has been able to provide a pathway for young talent to progress, with the likes of Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni handed opportunities last season under Arne Slot.That has allowed the Reds to continue signing some of the best young players around — both domestically and abroad — with those talents able to see how they could one day turn out at Anfield.Some, like Bobby Clark, have gone on to make substantial money for the Reds. He joined Red Bull Salzburg for around $13 million (£10 million) in 2024, but returned to England to sign for Derby County on a permanent basis earlier this week.Get Liverpool's new 2026/27 home kitThis article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it.
Learn moreLiverpool FC have launched their new home kit for the 2026/27, inspired by iconic adidas strip worn during the club's 1989/90 title-winning campaign."The senior players that have played in the World Cup, they've been feeling the pressure, they've been playing for their countries, and I think they need and deserve a rest," new head coach Andoni Iraola said in his first interview as Reds boss."This allows us to give also important minutes to train more closely with the young players that probably we don't know as well."Because we've been here already three seasons, playing a lot of times against Liverpool, and there are players that we already know."But there are other players probably that haven't had the minutes, have played for the development squad, have been on loan somewhere, and I think those trainings, those minutes, will be very valuable for us to take decisions."