Liverpool have been compelled to take strong measures to block Real Madrid’s interest in another of their players, according to reports.
The Reds lost Trent Alexander-Arnold to Los Blancos over the summer.
The England international was expected to join Real Madrid on a free transfer, but the Spanish club paid £10 million to release him early from his contract so he could participate in the Club World Cup. Liverpool quickly responded by signing Bayer Leverkusen right-back Jeremie Frimpong as his replacement.
Recently, Ibrahima Konate, who is in the final year of his contract at Anfield, has been linked with a free transfer move to Real Madrid.
Liverpool have since brought in the promising 18-year-old centre-back Giovanni Leoni from Parma, after a £35 million deal for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi collapsed on deadline day.
Now, Real Madrid have turned their attention to another Liverpool player.
According to Fichajes, the Spanish club are “closely monitoring” the 17-year-old wonderkid Rio Ngumoha, whose contract also expires in 2026. However, the same source reports that Liverpool’s sporting director Richard Hughes is preparing a long-term deal to secure the forward’s future at Anfield.
Ngumoha scored the winning goal in Liverpool’s 3-2 victory against Newcastle last month, delivering a precise right-footed strike into the top right corner from the edge of the penalty area.
He became only the fourth player in Premier League history—joining James Vaughan, Wayne Rooney, and James Milner—to score before turning 17.
Afterwards, Ngumoha shared his excitement with Liverpool’s official website about breaking into the first team and scoring his debut goal.
“It was crazy,” he said. “The coach looked at me and told me, ‘Get ready, you just have to come on and make an impact.’ Thankfully, I managed to do that.
“When the ball came to me, I believed I could score. I heard the fans shouting my name. That was an incredible moment.
“But you can’t get too carried away with all the attention, because I probably score that kind of goal 100 times in training, so it’s no different with fans watching. Still, having their support is amazing.”
Leave a Reply