Liverpool Signs Djylian N'Guessan for Future Investment
Liverpool’s recruitment machine has rolled again, and this time the ‘here we go’ lands not for the present, but for a calculated swing at the future.
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Liverpool have struck a deal with Saint-Etienne for 18-year-old forward Djylian N’Guessan, a move that will see the French teenager arrive at Anfield in the summer of 2027 after staying one more season with the Ligue 2 club. The agreement follows earlier reporting from Foot Mercato’s Santi Aouna, who revealed advanced talks between the clubs as the window hurtles towards its close.
An 18-year-old who can play wide or through the middle, N’Guessan fits a now-familiar Liverpool pattern: secure the talent early, park him where he can grow, and bet that the finished product will be worth the wait. His current deal with Saint-Etienne runs until 2027, but the French side have been open about listening to offers for their young star, and Liverpool have moved decisively.
Romano reported that Liverpool have obtained authorization for a medical and that the player’s side is fully aligned on the transfer. N’Guessan’s signing follows the capture of Lucca Brughmans as another long-range investment, a reminder that while the club wrestles with immediate issues in attack, the recruitment department is still thinking three, four years down the line.
Yet this is not a quiet, low-stakes moment at Anfield. Far from it.
Gakpo, City and a £85m question
Hovering over everything is Cody Gakpo. His future, and Manchester City’s attempt to prise him away, now shapes Liverpool’s final hours of the window.
Romano, speaking on his YouTube channel, stated that Gakpo has an agreement in place with City on personal terms and that the Premier League champions have sent an £85m bid to Liverpool. The number is huge. The decision is bigger.
Liverpool’s stance is clear: they will only cash in if they land a right winger before the deadline. No replacement, no sale. The entire situation has become a transfer domino, with one key question at the heart of it — who do Liverpool trust to step into that role?
Right now, the preferred option is Ismaila Sarr.
Sarr the favourite, Palace holding firm
While Yankuba Minteh has been discussed, Romano describes Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr as the leading candidate for Liverpool’s wing vacancy. The Senegal international has long been admired in England, and this time there is concrete movement.
Romano revealed that Liverpool already sent a formal bid earlier in the week: £45m plus £5m in add-ons, a £50m package. Palace rejected it. Publicly, there had been “zero links” between Sarr and Liverpool at the time, but behind the scenes, the offer was real and written, not a verbal probe.
Palace’s stance remains tough. They are currently saying no to a sale at that price while simultaneously scouring the market for possible replacements, just in case an irresistible proposal lands on the table. Sarr, for his part, wants the move. He wants Liverpool. The clubs now hold the power over whether that desire becomes reality.
So Liverpool wait, negotiate, and field calls. As Romano points out, wingers are being offered to them “every minute” because agents and clubs across Europe know exactly what Liverpool need and how much money might soon be on the table if Gakpo goes.
Future secured, present on a knife-edge
On one side, Liverpool have quietly locked in Djylian N’Guessan for 2027, another bet that their long-term planning will keep them competitive in the next cycle. On the other, they are juggling an £85m offer for a current starter, a rejected £50m bid for their preferred replacement, and the unforgiving tick of the deadline clock.
The future is signed. The present is still up for sale.
