Liverpool’s recruitment team is rarely quiet, but their latest move has a particularly local flavor.
Liverpool’s recruitment team is rarely quiet, but their latest move has a particularly local flavor.
The Reds are reportedly closing in on a deal to sign one of Everton’s most exciting young talents, in a cross city raid that is bound to raise eyebrows on both sides of Stanley Park.
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According to transfer reporter Pete O’Rourke, Liverpool are working to finalize an academy move that would see a highly rated Everton prospect swap blue for red, joining the Kirkby Academy as part of the club’s ongoing push to secure elite domestic youth talent.
While deals involving 14 year olds rarely generate headlines for transfer fees, this one carries weight for a different reason.
Cross city academy poaching between Liverpool and Everton is relatively rare, and when it happens, it tends to be remembered for years, often resurfacing in derby week build up and fan discourse.
Josh Chigwada, the Everton academy winger and attacking midfielder born on September 4, 2011, has already broken into Everton’s U18 Premier League side despite being just 14 years old, a level typically reserved for players three to four years his senior.
His technical ability and physical maturity have allowed him to bypass the usual age group restrictions that most academy players are bound by.
On the pitch, Chigwada operates as a wide forward or advanced attacking midfielder, known for explosive pace, direct dribbling, and sharp creative instincts in the final third.
His ability to compete at U18 level while still only 14 has been a major factor in catching Liverpool’s attention, and it earned him a call up to England’s U15 setup, cementing his status as one of the most talked about prospects in his age group nationally.
As for the financial side, this deal won’t resemble a typical transfer.
Given the player’s age, any compensation owed to Everton will be governed by domestic training compensation rules and, if necessary, a tribunal set development fee rather than an open market valuation.
These academy moves are part of a broader shift in strategy across the Premier League, with post Brexit restrictions limiting clubs’ ability to sign young talent from abroad.
As a result, top clubs like Liverpool have increasingly turned their scouting focus inward, targeting the best young English players from rival academies.
If completed, the move would see Chigwada join a Liverpool pathway that has, in recent seasons, successfully developed academy graduates into genuine first team contenders.
For Everton, losing a prospect of this caliber at such a young age represents a significant blow to their long term development plans, with years of coaching investment potentially lost before it can be recouped.
For Liverpool, though, it’s another step in a clear strategy: get to the best young talent early, wherever it’s playing, even if that means looking just across the city.
Understand Liverpool are closing in on the double signing of Everton winger Josh Chigwada and Wolves goalkeeper Zach Trinder with the two England youth internationals having deregistered from their parent clubs. #LFC #EFC #WWFC pic.twitter.com/QjB7BUDLHZ
— Pete O’Rourke (@SportsPeteO) June 14, 2026
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