Liverpool have confirmed a deal worth in the region of £750,000 for Colombian attacking midfielder Samuel Martinez, who will officially join in 2027.
Martinez will complete his switch from Atletico Nacional next summer due to rules prohibiting signings from abroad under the age of 18.
The 17-year-old is then set to join Liverpool’s academy ranks, having been identified as a priority target following his performances in Colombia’s triumph at the U17 South American Championship.
They were able to fend off interest from a host of other clubs including Bayern Munich, Dortmund and Barcelona to seal a £750,000 deal.
Who is Liverpool signing Samuel Martinez?
It is understand that Atletico Nacional will also benefit from a sell-on clause in the event of a future transfer, while the teenager will sign a five-year contract.
Martinez is a tall, athletic attacking midfielder with outstanding dribbling ability and an eye for a pass, which saw him assist in three consecutive games for Colombia U17s in April’s tournament.
This Is Anfield understands Liverpool remain heavily active in their youth recruitment this summer, including further deals for Celtic centre-back Dara Jikiemi, 16, and Crusaders striker Michael Mulholland, 15.
Jikiemi recently announced his departure from Celtic after over a decade and a move to join the Reds academy is considered imminent.
Meanwhile, though Liverpool are also set to sign Mulholland, he is not eligible to make the move from Northern Ireland until he turns 16 in January – the expectation is that he will remain with Crusaders’ first team until next summer.
Goalkeeper Noah Evans, 16, has already join the academy ranks from Burnley, while 14-year-old centre-back Isaiah Bryan has arrived from West Brom.
Moves for Everton winger Josh Chigwada and Wolves goalkeeper Zach Trinder, both 14, are also in the works while there are hopes of landing highly rated forward Joshua Holme, 14, who recently left Shamrock Rovers to return to the UK.
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