Manchester United are among a cluster of gigantic clubs a winger has rejected in favour of signing with Liverpool, and the Reds have already announced the deal is done.
Liverpool are no stranger to losing big-name players right now, and when doing so, it’s often not on their terms. Trent Alexander-Arnold was sold for just €10m whilst having just a month left on his deal last summer.
More recently, Andy Robertson is joining Spurs when his contract expires on June 30. Ibrahima Konate is heading to Real Madrid when his deal is up, and Mohamed Salah will leave on a free transfer despite still having a year left on his contract.
Liverpool were facing up to a similar situation involving a player at the very beginning of his career.
Throughout 2026, Liverpool have been fearing their 15-year-old winger, Josh Abe, would change clubs this summer.
The ultra-talented teen is widely regarded as not only one of the best forwards in England in his age group, but in world football.
Accordingly, he’s come under the microscope at rival clubs in an era when academy raids between the biggest teams are increasingly common. Let’s not forget Liverpool poached Rio Ngumoha from Chelsea not so long ago, for example.
Chelsea hoped to exact revenge by bringing Abe the other way. Manchester City and Manchester United’s interest in the youngster has now been confirmed by The Times.
Elsewhere, Abe is known to be an Arsenal fan which gave the Gunners a leg up. The left-footer was also spotted on a tour of Real Madrid’s Bernabeu stadium earlier this year which set alarm bells ringing.
However, Liverpool can now rest easy after the club convinced Abe to commit his future to the club by agreeing and signing scholarship terms with the Reds.
That news was officially confirmed on Liverpool’s website, and a report from The Athletic has shed light on just how big of a coup this is for Liverpool.
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Liverpool in dreamland as Josh Abe signs
They revealed that despite being just 15 years of age, an as yet unnamed Premier League side had remarkably offered Abe a contract worth £50,000-a-week to leave Liverpool and sign with them.
Athletic reporter, James Pearce, explained: ‘England youth international Josh Abe has turned down interest from a host of Premier League clubs to commit his future to Liverpool.
‘The 15-year-old winger, who is widely regarded as one of the most exciting talents at the Kirkby academy and has been linked to Manchester City and Chelsea, has signed scholarship terms with a pre-contract agreement in place for a three-year professional deal to start when he turns 17 in July 2027.
‘It’s a huge boost for Liverpool after months of discussions which were led by Fenway Sports Group technical director Julian Ward.
‘Sources familiar with the process, who asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, stating that the youngster was offered pro terms of up to £50,000 per week from Premier League rivals to move away from Liverpool.
‘Ultimately, after taking time to weigh up his options, Abe and his family decided that the pathway available to the first-team at Liverpool meant that his interests would be best served by staying put.’
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