Liverpool are eager to sign Rio Ngumoha to a new long-term contract after making 29 appearances last season, but here is why they are having to wait.
The 17-year-old was managed carefully by Arne Slot for much of last season, playing 349 minutes in the first 38 games before playing 603 minutes in the final 19 matches.
His performances earned him an invite from England’s Thomas Tuchel to join the senior squad as a training player for their pre-World Cup preparation camp.
And the Athletic‘s James Pearce reports Liverpool are “keen to get him tied down to a longer contract once he turns 18 in late August.”
The reason his birthday has been cited is that players under the age of 18 are only allowed to sign, at most, a three-year contract.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, May 24, 2026: Liverpool's Rio Ngumoha during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Brentford FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Ngumoha signed his first professional deal in September last year, tying him to the club until 2028. He’s one of four players whose current terms end at the conclusion of the 2027/28 campaign.
After his birthday on August 29, Liverpool are then free to table a contract that runs beyond three years, in line with deals they offer for new signings and first-team players.
Ngumoha was approached by Bayern Munich earlier this summer, and Liverpool were described as “incensed” by their efforts to sign a player they deem untouchable.
The club see Ngumoha as “the present and future of the club” and are planning for him to have a bigger role under Andoni Iraola after 952 minutes last season, which returned two goals and one assist.
The teenager is seen as one of four high-quality wing options that Liverpool will seek to rely on in Iraola’s first season, though their plans have been dented by Yan Diomande’s PSG preference.
Ngumoha will join pre-season in the coming weeks and will be expected to take on a key role during the three-stop tour of the US.