Liverpool beat Man Utd to winger signing with deal officially confirmed | OneFootball

Liverpool have pulled off a serious coup by beating Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Real Madrid to the signature of an ultra-talented winger.

Liverpool have come in for stinging criticism for their approach to their own players in very recent times. Trent Alexander-Arnold was allowed to run his contract down before being sold to Real Madrid for just €10m.

This summer, Andy Robertson (Tottenham), Ibrahima Konate (Real Madrid), and Mohamed Salah (TBC) are all leaving for nothing.

And throughout much of the 2025/26 campaign, there were growing fears Liverpool would begrudgingly wave goodbye to Josh Abe too.

The 15-year-old left-footed winger has been on the Reds’ books since the age of four and is widely regarded as one of world football’s hottest prospects in his age category.

But in an era where academy raids between the highest profile clubs are increasingly common – Liverpool previously poached Rio Ngumoha from Chelsea, for example – interest in Abe was rampant.

He was previously spotted on a tour of Real Madrid’s Bernabeu stadium and is known to be an Arsenal fan.

Chelsea hoped to take revenge for losing Ngumoha by stealing Abe, while The Times have confirmed Manchester United and Manchester City wanted the Liverpool superstar-in-waiting too.

However, Liverpool have now averted disaster by convincing Abe to reject all other clubs and put pen to paper at Anfield.

Liverpool announce Josh Abe has signed

Abe has signed his scholarship terms with the Reds that includes a pre-contract agreement for a three-year professional deal with he turns 17 just over one year from now.

Liverpool announced the coup on their official website, and a report from The Athletic has detailed why Liverpool fans should be raising a glass to the club’s negotiators and hierarchy right now.

Their reporter, James Pearce, revealed Abe had sensationally been offered a professional contract worth £50,000-a-week by one of the interested sides. Despite the insane riches on offer for someone so young, cooler heads prevailed and Abe is staying put.

Pearce explained: ‘England youth international Josh Abe has turned down interest from a host of Premier League clubs to commit his future to Liverpool.

‘The 15-year-old winger, who is widely regarded as one of the most exciting talents at the Kirkby academy and has been linked to Manchester City and Chelsea, has signed scholarship terms with a pre-contract agreement in place for a three-year professional deal to start when he turns 17 in July 2027.

‘It’s a huge boost for Liverpool after months of discussions which were led by Fenway Sports Group technical director Julian Ward.

‘Sources familiar with the process, who asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, stating that the youngster was offered pro terms of up to £50,000 per week from Premier League rivals to move away from Liverpool.

‘Ultimately, after taking time to weigh up his options, Abe and his family decided that the pathway available to the first-team at Liverpool meant that his interests would be best served by staying put.’