Liverpool player Ifeanyi Ndukwe has an alternative in hand. The Austrian defender is aiming for a loan spell with Levante this summer. Ndukwe cannot play for the Reds this season as he was unable to receive the work permit for the 2026-27 season.
Ndukwe to go for a loan move this summer?
The Austrian centre-back wants to try out with Levante this summer, as reported by BBC Sport. If everything goes as per plan, he will play for the Spanish club for the 2026-27 season. However, if he gets enough points for the work permit, he won’t make this deal a permanent one.
Ndukwe officially agreed to join Liverpool in January 2026. Before that, the 17-year-old was part of Austria Wien for a long time. The Austrian centre-back joined the club’s youth academy in 2016. Then in 2025, he was promoted to the reserve team. He was further promoted to the senior team.
Will Liverpool retain Ndukwe or let him go?
The Reds are in a dilemma about Ndukwe’s position. While they have plenty of youth players eager to make it big at senior level next year, they are not completely unaware about Ndukwe’s capability either. That is why they are ready to let Ndukwe play for Levante on a loan move, until the legal hurdles are cleared. The management believes that the Austrian centre-back could make it to the main team by the 2027-28 season.
The Reds had an average experience in the 2025-26 season. They couldn’t finish in the top three of the **Premier League**table, due to which Arne Slot was replaced by Andoni Iraola for the next season. Iraola knows that he won’t get another opportunity like this. Besides, Ndukwe has also impressed coach Iraola during the pre-season training, so it would be unlikely that the Reds will let him go just like that.
What’s next for Ifeanyi Ndukwe?
Ndukwe will be resting for a while before preparing for the next season. He recently played for the Reds in a pre-season friendly against AS Monaco on August 9. Monaco eventually won the match 3-2. Ndukwe has a clean record in terms of both disciplinary and fitness concerns. However, if he wants to make a big name for himself in club football, Ndukwe needs to be consistent. He could look back to his journey at the 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup for some inspiration. Austria made it to the finals of the U17 World Cup. They lost to Portugal 1-0.
Ndukwe is a front-foot defender who is capable of nipping any attacking move in the bud. His performance at the U17 World Cup didn’t go unnoticed. That is why the Reds applied for the 17-year-old centre-back this summer. If not for the work permit issue, he would’ve started well within the 2026-27 season itself. However, the Austrian is not disappointed. He is hopeful of a bright future.
Liverpool are aiming for a better season this summer. Team manager Iraola is already working on it, and the management has signed up players like Jeremy Jacquet, Victor Munoz, and Ronald Araujo for the 2026-27 season. If they had managed to get the work permit for Ifeanyi Ndukwe, it would’ve been a bonus for the team’s defensive lineup. However, the season is not over yet. Besides, Ndukwe will get some La Liga experience with his spell at Levante, which in turn will be extremely helpful in the 2027-28 season. It is now up to him if he wants to make the best of this opportunity or not.
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