Liverpool are trying to win the present and quietly lock down the future at the same time.
While the club waits to rubber‑stamp a move for Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola and continues to chase immediate first-team firepower, the recruitment department has been working a few years down the line. The next piece of that long-term puzzle, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, is Djylian N’Guessan of Saint-Etienne.
A deal is in place, Romano reports, for the 18-year-old striker to join Liverpool in the summer of 2027. Agreement has been reached with both club and player, and N’Guessan has been given the green light to undergo a medical. The fee remains under wraps, but the intent is loud enough.
This is not a one-off play. It follows the pattern set with Genk goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans, whose €35 million transfer has already been agreed with a view to him arriving at Anfield next summer. Liverpool are building a conveyor belt: Brughmans in 2025, N’Guessan in 2027, with Barcola expected to land in the here and now once the final details are signed off.
For supporters, it’s a curious balance. The club is stockpiling talent for the next era, yet the demand on the streets around Anfield is for signings who can affect the starting XI this season. Long-term planning wins trophies, but short-term urgency drives the mood.
Who is Djylian N’Guessan?
N’Guessan has only just turned 18, but his profile has already nudged him onto the radar of one of Europe’s biggest clubs. A centre-forward by trade, he can also operate out wide, a versatility Liverpool have repeatedly valued in their attacking recruits.
He has made 13 senior appearances for Saint-Etienne, several of them during the 2024-25 campaign, while spending most of his minutes with the club’s B team and under-19 side. On the international scene, he is capped up to under-20 level for his country, another marker of how highly he is regarded.
For now, his development stays rooted in France. Remaining with Saint-Etienne, where minutes and mistakes are easier to come by, could be the smartest route for a teenager still learning the craft of leading a forward line. Liverpool, by locking him in early and parking the move until 2027, are betting that the player who eventually walks through the doors at Kirkby will be far more polished than the one currently emerging in Ligue 2.
The pattern is clear. Liverpool are trying to get ahead of the market, paying now for players they believe will be worth far more—on the pitch and in value—by the time they actually pull on the shirt.
Whether that strategy can run in parallel with the demands of a fanbase expecting immediate reinforcements is the next question.
