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Liverpool have reportedly landed the signing of a young defender ahead of the summer transfer window.
The Reds’ interest in now-Manchester City defender Marc Guehi was no secret, with a deal collapsing on deadline day in the summer.
However, Arne Slot’s side have already managed to strengthen that area of the pitch with another signing.
Liverpool sign young defender following Marc Guehi miss
It has been a problem position for the Merseyside club for some time, with one of their most recent signings, teenage defender Giovanni Leoni, tearing his ACL on his Liverpool debut in September.
Their summer acquisition has nowhere near the seniority that Guehi would have brought, but the hope at Anfield will be that they’ve found another diamond they can shape.
According to Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung, as quoted by Sport Witness, Liverpool have signed Austria Vienna centre-back Ifeanyi Ndukwe.
The 17-year-old has reportedly cost the club €4.2m (£3.6m), but the Wien-born defender will not move to the Premier League until the summer.
That’s due to Brexit regulations which restrict the purchase of players under 18, a milestone Ndukwe won’t hit until March.
Based on a report from Kurier, Liverpool had to battle Italian side Inter Milan, and others, for the young defender’s signature, but are believed to have won the race.
The Austria national team’s U18 boss, Hermann Stadler, told Kronen Zeitung: “He’s developed superbly and will go far. I would have liked to see him play in Austria for another year. In two or three years, we’ll see if it was the right move.”
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, while Ndukwe’s interest from across Europe certainly bodes well for Liverpool’s success in this deal, it could be some time until the impact on the first team is felt.
The young Austrian is yet to make a senior appearance for his current employers, and the Premier League is undoubtedly a much more difficult arena than Austria’s top tier.
Nevertheless, players can develop and progress quickly, and with a lack of numbers at the back for the Reds, those at Anfield will hope he can contribute sooner rather than later, once he arrives in the summer.
Ndukwe is valued at €1m, according to Transfermarkt.
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