Fabrizio Romano: Liverpool IN LOVE with new signing who will debut TODAY

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Liverpool are 'in love' with one of their summer signings after he has impressed them in training so far.

Rio Ngumoha, who is just 16 years old, joined the club from Chelsea on a free transfer this summer and is set to make his debut for the U18's today (Saturday September 14).

Signing one of Chelsea's biggest talents represents a major coup for Liverpool, with Ngumoha an exciting player who has been compared to Bayern Munich and Germany superstar Jamal Musiala.

Read more: Mohamed Salah's agent rubbishes contract reports

The club are extremely excited about Ngumoha's signing, and believe he could be an important part of the first team in years to come, according to Fabrizio Romano.

"They signed him on a free transfer from Chelsea because he left the academy, but this guy – born in 2008 – is considered more than a talent," Romano said on his YouTube channel.

"Liverpool are in love with this talent," he added. "They obviously have been scouting him for a long time but they believe Rio is not just a youngster who will be part of the academy, they believe the potential is really insane for this boy.

"They had to pay an important compensation fee so free, yes, but still with a big compensation fee, but at the same time Liverpool believe they have got one of the best talents around."

"They were really impressed with his first training sessions at the club in the recent days. They are very happy with his quality and very happy with his attitude. They believe this boy is really, really special."

"They believe that Rio Ngumoha was a really, really important move for the future of the club, so Liverpool are super excited about this boy, and believe he is going to be something special for the future."

A MARK OF INTENT

While Liverpool have previously recruited from clubs like Derby County, Fulham, Newcastle United, Celtic, Leicester City, and West Ham, this time they have managed to sign a young player from a direct rival.

Ngumoha's arrival is especially notable because he was one of Chelsea’s most exciting talents. Last season, at just 15 years old, he was already training with Mauricio Pochettino’s first team—a rare opportunity for a player so young.

With Salah's contract situation yet to be resolved, Ngumoha will look to make a mark in training this season in the hopes he can be part of any succession plans that Arne Slot makes.

Ngumoha is set to make his first appearance in a Liverpool shirt this weekend. The Athletic suggests he's in line to face Blackburn Rovers for the Under 18s today in a home game.

The expectation will be for Ngumoha to quickly prove he's better than the U18 level and move on to the Under 21s before long. Hopefully, he's knocking on that door before 2025 comes around.