**Liverpool are in advanced talks to re-sign former academy midfielder Patrik Farkas on a free transfer. Here is why the Reds are bringing him back to Kirkby.**
Liverpool are closing in on a deal to bring a familiar face back to the AXA Training Centre.
Former academy midfielder Patrik Farkas is in advanced talks over a return to Merseyside [according to reports,](https://www.anfieldwatch.co.uk/liverpool-fc/news/midfielder-spotted-at-liverpool-he-is-in-advanced-talks-to-join-the-club/) having spent the summer on an extended trial with the Reds’ Under-21 side.
The 19-year-old Hungarian prospect is currently a free agent following the expiration of his contract at Blackburn Rovers earlier this summer. While [_This Is Anfield_](https://www.thisisanfield.com/2026/08/patrik-farkas-liverpool-transfer-hungarian-midfielder-u21/) reports that minor hold-ups over wider contractual terms remain to be finalised, _Anfield Watch_ sources indicate that negotiations are progression smoothly and an agreement is expected to be reached.
If signed, Farkas will not be parachuted into Andoni Iraola first-team setup. Instead, he will provide much-needed experience, athleticism, and cover for Rob Page’s newly revamped U21 squad as the academy undergoes a significant midfield restructuring.
For Farkas, it represents a remarkable full-circle moment—and a second chance at a club he knows inside out.
**From Kirkby to Ewood and the school of hard knocks**
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Farkas first arrived on Merseyside back in 2021 after being scouted from Kecskemeti TE in his native Hungary. His initial stint in red was short-lived, leaving at U16 level in 2022 to join Blackburn Rovers in search of a clearer path toward senior football.
At Ewood Park, Farkas developed rapidly within Rovers’ youth system, featuring regularly in Premier League 2 and earning international caps for Hungary at youth level. But it was his spells away from academy football that truly forged his game.
Loans at non-league outfits City of Liverpool FC and Prescot Cables gave the youngster a crash course in men’s football. Out on the Northern Premier League circuit, Farkas was exposed to the physical reality of senior competition learning to scrap for second balls, withstand heavy challenges, and manage the game under physical pressure.
Those raw non-league minutes transformed his physical profile. Known as an industrious, box-to-box engine, Farkas has built a reputation for covering immense ground, pressing with high intensity, and competing fiercely in defensive duels.
When his contract with Blackburn expired at the end of last season, Liverpool moved quickly to offer him a trial—giving both the player and the coaching staff a chance to evaluate the fit.
**Filling the void for Rob Page**
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Farkas hasn’t simply been making up the numbers during his trial he has been thrown straight into the deep end of Rob Page’s pre-season preparations.
Demonstrating a tactical flexibility that academy coaches prize above all else, the 19-year-old was even deployed as a makeshift central striker during the first half of a wild 4-3 defeat to Cardiff City at the AXA Training Centre earlier this month. He followed that up with an energetic performance in midfield during a 2-2 draw with Huddersfield Town.
That versatility is precisely why Liverpool are keen to lock him down. Page’s U21 side has undergone a mass exodus in central areas this window:
* **Tommy Pilling** has departed for Slovakian outfit MFK Zemplin Michalovce.
* **Luca Stephenson** completed a permanent move to Bolton Wanderers.
* **James Balagizi, Kareem Ahmed, and Oakley Cannonier** were all released at the end of their contracts—with Cannonier making a high-profile switch to Singapore side Hougang United, and goalkeeper DJ Bernard sealing a move to Middlesbrough.
With so many senior academy figures moving on, Liverpool’s U21 engine room was left looking dangerously light ahead of a grueling Premier League 2 schedule. Farkas brings immediate maturity, discipline, and zero need for an adaptation period.
The U21s kick off their campaign away at Goodison Park against Everton on Friday, August 21, while Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s U18s begin their season even sooner with a trip to Manchester City on Saturday, August 15. Getting bodies through the door at Kirkby is now important ahead of the campaign/
Should the deal cross the finish line, Patrik won’t be the only Farkas walking through the doors at Kirkby every morning.
His younger brother, Erik Farkas, is already regarded as one of the brightest talents in Liverpool’s youth system. The 16-year-old midfielder was formally inducted into this summer’s intake of first-year scholars and has already made an explosive start to life with the U18s.
Erik stole the headlines in the U18s’ most recent pre-season outing, netting twice in an impressive 4-1 victory over Swansea City at the AXA Training Centre.
While academy football is a ruthless business where family connections guarantee nothing, having his younger brother firmly embedded in the club adds a warm, human element to Patrik’s return. It offers both brothers a familiar support system as they navigate crucial crossroads in their respective careers.
With final contract terms being ironed out, expect Farkas to put pen to paper shortly as Liverpool finalise their development squad for the 2026/27 campaign.