Reports claim that Liverpool will pay Chelsea at least £2.8 million for 17-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha. The deal could be worth up to £4 million more. The 17-year-old moved from Chelsea’s academy to the Reds in September 2024. Now, a Professional Football Compensation Committee (PFCC) tribunal has decided how much the London club are owed.
The settlement is a fixed amount that can’t be changed, but bonuses may be added if certain goals are met. Most importantly, Chelsea will also get 20% of any future profit if Liverpool sell the England youth international. The performance-related bonuses are based on Ngumoha’s senior appearances, contract extensions, and winning international honors at the senior level.
Since he got to Anfield, Ngumoha has already made a big difference. He played in 13 games this season and scored a dramatic 100th-minute winner against Newcastle on his Premier League debut, making him Liverpool’s youngest ever goalscorer at 16 years and 361 days old. In January 2025, he became the youngest player to start a game for the club in the FA Cup against Accrington Stanley.
The winger signed his first professional contract with Liverpool in September 2025, which will keep him with the team until 2028. Chelsea are entitled to compensation because they paid for Ngumoha’s development through their academy system, which he joined when he was eight and left when he was sixteen. Under Premier League rules, when a player under 18 moves clubs, the new club must pay the old club for the costs of training and development, even if a transfer fee was agreed at the time.
How Academy Compensation Tribunals Protect Youth Investment
The Ngumoha ruling has shown the growing importance of academy compensation in English football. The PFCC considers nine factors when determining the amount to pay, including the player’s age, how long the original club held the registration, the player’s playing record, and whether other clubs are interested.
Recent tribunal awards have set important examples. The PFCC guaranteed Fulham £1.5 million in 2021, plus an additional £2.8 million for Harvey Elliott, who was an under-16 player when he joined Liverpool. They also had to pay a 20 percent sell-on fee. The £6.5 million that Liverpool paid Burnley for Danny Ings in 2016, plus £1.5 million in appearance-based add-ons and a 20 percent sell-on clause, is still the biggest compensation award ever.