Arsenal and Bayern Munich have been watching Rio Ngumoha closely. Liverpool have decided they will not be listening.
The principles of a new long-term deal for the 18-year-old winger are already in place, TeamTalk reports, with only minor details left to iron out. Sources insist there are no significant problems with the player or his representatives, and the club has no intention of entertaining offers.
The man charged with closing it out is Julian Ward, who returned to the club as sporting director in late September after Richard Hughes stepped down. Confirming Ngumoha’s new terms sits among Ward’s first priorities in the role.
From Chelsea in 2024 to a 2028 deal
Ngumoha joined Liverpool from Chelsea in 2024 and signed the longest contract available to him as a 17-year-old, which runs to 2028. He turned 18 at the end of August.
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Last season he became Liverpool’s youngest-ever goalscorer with a late winner at Newcastle, and he made 19 league appearances in that breakthrough campaign. He has started once in the Premier League so far this season.
Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool’s captain, has already called the teenager a “special talent,” pointing to his pace and his work in one-against-one situations after a win at Wolves earlier in 2026.
Rooney, Bellingham, Ngumoha
The sharper reason the paperwork cannot wait is his England call-up. Ngumoha earned his first competitive senior cap in a 2-0 UEFA Nations League win over Czechia on 29 September, coming off the bench in the 71st minute to replace Bukayo Saka. He was 18 years and 31 days old. Only Wayne Rooney and Jude Bellingham have been younger competitive debutants for England.
The Prague appearance tightened the attention around him. Bayern Munich were linked over the summer, Real Madrid and Barcelona were noted as admirers in early September, and Arsenal have continued to track his progress.
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A formal announcement on the new deal is still to come.
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