The Athletic's resident renowned English Liverpool team correspondent James Pearce, exclusively reported on Saturday that Austria U17s international defender wonderkid Ifeanyi Ndukwe is close to joining Liverpool.

According to Pearce, Liverpool's youth academy director, Alex Inglethorpe, has decided to break the club's precedent of avoid signing foreign young talents since Brexit, based on years of observation and recommendations from scouts and data analysts.

It is understood that sporting director Richard Hughes has already reached an agreement with Ndukwe on personal terms, and the player has agreed to officially join the Reds this summer after turning 18.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Ndukwe is expected to sign a four to five-year long-term contract with Liverpool, which runs until 2030/31. However, the Reds are currently in final negotiations with his current club, Austria Wien, to finalize the total transfer fee, which is expected to be no less than several million euros.

Furthermore, Pearce added that several other clubs from Germany, Italy, and Spain were vying with Liverpool for Ndukwe's signature, but Ndukwe ultimately decided to join the reigning Premier League champions.

With Rhys Williams and Wellity Lucky already promoted to the first team, only Amara Nallo and Carter Pinnington remain for the U21s team. Ndukwe is expected to play for the U21s team alongside the two.

It is now confirmed that Giovani Leoni, the Italy U21s international center-back wonderkid who joined from Parma last summer but unfortunately suffered an injury in his debut that ended his season prematurely, has been permanently promoted to the first team.

About Ifeanyi Ndukwe

Ifeanyi Ndukwe, who is still only 17-year-old, was born on March 3, 2008, in Vienna, Austria. He is 1.98 meters tall, plays as a center-back, and holds dual Austrian and Nigerian citizenship.

Ndukwe joined the Austria Wien youth academy at a young age and began playing for their U18s team in the summer of 2022.

As a member of the U18s team, Ndukwe won the U18s Austrian Bundesliga title twice and was promoted to the first team last summer, but has yet to make his first-team debut.

Internationally, Ndukwe represented the Austria U17s national team at the U17s FIFA World Cup in Doha, Qatar last November, but ultimately finished as runners-up after losing to Portugal in the final.