Liverpool Signs Djylian N’Guessan for Future
Liverpool’s late-window chaos shows no sign of slowing. While the senior attack hangs in the balance, the club has quietly locked in another piece of its future.
Liverpool land N’Guessan as next-generation bet
Fabrizio Romano has delivered his trademark “here we go” on Liverpool’s move for Djylian N’Guessan, one of Saint-Etienne’s most highly regarded young forwards.
The 18-year-old, under contract with AS Saint-Etienne until 2027, will not arrive immediately. Liverpool have agreed a deal that will see the French attacker join in the summer of 2027, with N’Guessan spending another season developing in Ligue 2 before making the switch to Anfield.
Foot Mercato’s Santi Aouna first flagged the negotiations, reporting “advanced negotiations between ASSE and Liverpool” with only “last details to settle.” He underlined Saint-Etienne’s stance: the club has been open about listening to offers for their young star, with limited options given his contract situation and rising profile.
Liverpool see N’Guessan as a long-term project, another strategic move in a youth-focused recruitment drive that recently brought in Lucca Brughmans. Romano confirmed that agreement has been reached on both club and player side, with Liverpool already receiving authorization to conduct the medical.
It is a signing for tomorrow, not today. And that matters, because the present is on a knife edge.
Barcola in, Gakpo out? The domino Liverpool can’t ignore
While N’Guessan is one for 2027, the current window could reshape Liverpool’s frontline in a matter of hours.
Bradley Barcola has completed his medical ahead of a big-money move from PSG and is poised to sign. His arrival is expected to trigger Cody Gakpo’s departure, with the Dutchman now pushing for a switch to Manchester City.
Gakpo has already turned down an £85 million move to Tottenham Hotspur. He wants City. Romano reports that Gakpo and City have an agreement on personal terms, with the Premier League champions having sent an £85m bid to Liverpool.
The catch is obvious. Liverpool will only sign off on Gakpo’s exit if they land a right winger before the deadline. No winger, no sale. That single condition now drives the rest of their window.
Sarr at the centre of the storm
The name at the top of Liverpool’s list is clear: Ismaila Sarr.
Romano says Sarr is ahead of Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh in Liverpool’s thinking. The Crystal Palace winger has emerged as the preferred option to fill the gap on the right, but the deal is anything but straightforward.
Palace are resisting. According to Romano, the London club continue to say no to Sarr’s exit, even as they quietly assess potential replacements in case the right offer finally lands. Liverpool have already tested their resolve.
A written bid worth £45m plus £5m in add-ons – a £50m package – has been rejected. Romano insists it was a formal, written proposal, not a verbal enquiry, despite earlier denials around any contact between the clubs. The answer from Palace was firm: that figure is not enough.
Sarr, for his part, wants the move. He is keen on joining Liverpool, but the decision now lies with the two clubs and how far Liverpool are prepared to push.
Market frenzy and a ruthless deadline
As the clock ticks down, Liverpool find themselves in a familiar position: every agent and every club with a winger to sell knows they are in the market. Offers are flying in. Names are being thrown at them “every minute,” as Romano puts it.
Yet the equation remains brutally simple.
Secure a right winger – ideally Sarr – and Gakpo walks through the door at the Etihad for £85m. Fail to do so, and Liverpool keep Gakpo, bank no fee, and postpone a major reshaping of their attack.
All while an 18-year-old in Saint-Etienne waits to become part of whatever Liverpool’s forward line looks like in 2027.
