Liverpool have spent the closing days of the summer window monitoring one of French football’s most talked-about teenagers.
Confirmation of a deal for Djylian N’Guessan first surfaced on transfer deadline day, when Fabrizio Romano reported that the Reds had reached an agreement with Saint-Etienne.
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More than 48 hours on, Liverpool have still not issued their own official statement on the move.
That is a notable omission given how swiftly the club confirmed other business, including the £123million arrival of Bradley Barcola and the £30million deal for Genk goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans on deadline day.
The explanation lies in the unusual structure of the transfer.
N’Guessan will not become a registered Liverpool player straight away; instead, he is set to sign a pre-contract agreement with the Reds before completing his move to Anfield next summer, according to the Liverpool Echo.
The delay stems from a bureaucratic snag.
Liverpool had already filled their allocation of permitted foreign loan slots for the season, after sending Harvey Elliott to Valencia, meaning any temporary switch for N’Guessan could not be arranged through Anfield.
Stade Brestois 29 have now confirmed the next step in that plan, announcing the signing of the striker on loan from Saint-Etienne for the 2026/27 campaign.
Crucially, the move is being processed through Saint-Etienne rather than Liverpool, allowing the Reds to circumvent their loan-slot restriction while N’Guessan gains further senior experience in Ligue 1.
The 18-year-old, born in Saint-Nazaire to an Ivorian mother and French father, has been on Liverpool’s radar as part of the club’s long-term recruitment strategy under global talent department head Matt Newberry.
The Athletic’s James Pearce reported the fee for N’Guessan at around €5million (£4.3million).
His rise through the Saint-Etienne academy has been rapid. N’Guessan played for the club’s U17 side at just 14, before signing his first professional contract in November 2024.
He made his senior debut in January 2025, aged 16, coming off the bench in a 3-1 win over Stade de Reims, and followed it with a first start against FC Nantes later that month.
In total, he has made 13 senior appearances for Saint-Etienne, including eight in Ligue 1, scoring once in the Coupe de France.
At international youth level, his scoring record has been prolific: 12 goals in 14 appearances for France’s U16s and 11 goals in as many games for the U17s.
Some reports have described N’Guessan’s profile as comparable to Hugo Ekitike, who enjoyed a strong first season at Liverpool before suffering an Achilles injury in April that is expected to keep him out for the remainder of this year.
Liverpool are understood to see Djylian N’Guessan, alongside Brughmans, as part of their long-term first-team planning, with an initial pathway through the club’s U21 setup once he arrives on Merseyside.
For now, his focus shifts to Brittany, where Brest have opened their own Ligue 1 campaign with back-to-back 2-2 draws.
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