Rio Ngumoha contract latest after shock Arsenal 'interest' in Liverpool sensation | OneFootball

Gunners are said to be among clubs keen on the Reds’ teenage star

Liverpool will hope to finalise Rio Ngumoha’s contract extension amid new suggestions of shock transfer interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal.

Ngumoha is widely regarded as one of the most talented young players in English football, having made quick progress since arriving at Anfield in September 2024 after rejecting multiple contract offers to remain at Chelsea, who a tribunal later ruled were owed at least £2.8million with potential add-ons rising to £4m.

He initially joined Liverpool’s academy setup, but impressed so much that he swiftly made his first-team debut for the club under former boss Arne Slot in the FA Cup in January 2025 aged just 16 years and 135 days, their second-youngest senior debutant of all time.

Ngumoha made a full first-team breakthrough last season and has become a key part of the club’s attack, scoring twice and registering one assist in 35 appearances across all competitions to date.

Initially signed on a scholarship contract as a 16-year-old, Ngumoha was handed a first professional contract by Liverpool in September 2025, just a month after netting a memorable first senior goal for the club - a dramatic 100th-minute winner in a 3-2 triumph away at Newcastle in the Premier League.

That deal is valid until the end of June 2028, though Liverpool have already been trying to agree a long-term extension with the player beyond that as his importance continues to rise.

England boss Thomas Tuchel was so impressed with Ngumoha that he took him to a pre-World Cup training camp in the United States earlier this summer despite not including him in his tournament squad and handed him a senior debut against New Zealand, where he earned man-of-the-match honours.

Rising star: Rio Ngumoha is already a very important player for Liverpool, aged 18

Current FIFA rules state that players aged 17 can only sign professional deals lasting up to three years, though he is now eligible for longer terms after his 18th birthday in August, when it was reported widely that Ngumoha would pen a new five-year contract until 2031 with enhanced terms to reflect his growing standing on Merseyside.

It was also said that he would be challenged to stake his claim on the right-hand side of new manager Andoni Iraola’s attack this term following the blockbuster £123million signing of Bradley Barcola, who prefers to play on the left.

However, confirmation of that new deal for Ngumoha has yet to arrive, with The Athletic’s David Ornstein recently claiming that Arsenal are among a number of clubs said to “like” the player.

“I think there is some interest from Arsenal in Rio Ngumoha,” Ornstein told The Athletic FC podcast. “There’s interest from a lot of clubs in him. I did hear over the summer that Arsenal like him.

“They are allowed to like him… it doesn’t mean Liverpool will sell him. They want to renew his contract.”

If Liverpool were ever to sell Ngumoha, it is understood that Chelsea would be owed 20 per cent of the profit of the transfer for a player who first joined their academy at the age of eight, per the ruling from the Professional Football Compensation Committee (PFCC) tribunal that was delivered back in February.

However, there is surely no chance that they even remotely contemplate losing their most exciting young star, though they will be eager to get his new contract signed, sealed and announced to ward off any future speculation.