Liverpool is inching closer to officially signing one of the most promising young talents in English soccer . The Reds are finalizing the acquisition of Rio Ngumoha , an England U16 international who made his debut with Chelsea's U18s last season and has already played for the Stamford Bridge side's U21s.
Having just turned 16 on Sunday, the winger has quickly climbed the ranks and has been enticed away from Chelsea to join the Liverpool Academy in Kirkby. Ngumoha is expected to join Marc Bridge-Wilkinson's U18s squad for the upcoming season, following a path taken by Trey Nyoni and Amara Nallo last season.
It is understood that the clear pathway to the first team was the deciding factor in Ngumoha moving to Liverpool despite interest from several other clubs around the country. Chelsea is furious at having lost what it considered a hugely promising talent.
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Ngumoha's transfer is currently undergoing the Premier League's rigorous five-step investigation process introduced in 2016, Liverpool ECHO reports, which is necessary before any Academy player can be registered. After that, he can officially become a Reds player.
The first step, which has already been completed, is for Liverpool to submit a signed registration form to the Premier League . The second stage involves the governing body appointing an independent third party to conduct a series of interviews with Ngumoha, his parents, and representatives from both Liverpool and Chelsea .
The third step involves the two clubs, along with the player's parents, signing a declaration that there are no financial or similar inducements involved in the move. Following this, the fourth stage requires a third party to produce a report for the Premier League's board, recommending whether the club's application to register the player should be approved.
The final decision then rests with the Premier League, who can either approve or reject the registration application. If any breach of youth development rules is discovered during the investigation, the Premier League has the authority to take disciplinary action.
While Ngumoha isn't officially a Liverpool player yet, the Reds are optimistic that the young talent will prove to be worth the wait. Fabrizio Romano has reported that the process should take around four weeks to complete.
Liverpool.com says: Ngumoha looks like a real talent. He will join up with the Reds' U18s side initially but there is a good chance that he will move up the teams quickly given his ability.
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