Liverpool Make First Signing of 2026 as Fabrizio Romano Confirms Deal Is ‘Done’

Liverpool have reportedly reached an agreement for their first January signing as Arne Slot seeks to strengthen the squad after a disappointing start to the 2025/26 campaign.

Slot’s side currently sit fourth in the Premier League, and ahead of gameweek 20 are 12 points off league leaders Arsenal, eight off second-place Manchester City, and even six off third-place Aston Villa.

Despite signing top-class players such as Alexander Isak (£125 million) and Florian Wirtz (£116 million) during the summer transfer window, neither has made the impact many expected of them, while fellow summer recruits Milos Kerkez (£40 million) and Jeremie Frimpong (£29.5 million) have yet to perform at their best since they arrived at Anfield.

Hugo Ekitike, who arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt for £69 million, is arguably the pick of the summer signings, having netted 11 times in 24 appearances.

But despite spending a reported £446 million last summer, the Reds are already active in the January transfer market, which opened on New Year’s Day (January 1).

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Liverpool head coach Arne Slot (Credit:Getty)

On Friday (January 2), a report from The Athletic claimed Liverpool were “in talks” with 17-year-old Austrian defender Ifeanyi Ndukwe, who currently plays for Austria Vienna.

The youngster has been identified by Liverpool director of global talent Matt Newberry and would join Rob Page’s Under-21s development squad should he complete a move to Merseyside.

The teenager, who stands at six foot five inches, has captained Austria Vienna’s Under-16s team while also regularly featuring at reserve level during the 2024/25 campaign.

Ndukwe signed a three-year professional contract with the club in June of 2025.

On Saturday (January 3), Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed what he knows about the potential deal and claimed “everything is done” and “agreed” when speaking on his YouTube channel.

Romano said: "... This talented centre-back, coming from Austria-Wien, 17-year-old, will turn 18 very soon, and in the summer, 2026, Ndukwe will become new centre-back for Liverpool. It's done. It's a here we go.

“The player has already agreed the terms. I can tell you that last summer transfer window, Italian clubs and German clubs wanted to sign the boy, but Ndukwe decided to wait, and now Liverpool decide to sign him. The deal is done now, for the summer.

Ifeanyi Ndukwe in action for Austria Under-17s (Credit:Getty)

“Everything is done, everything is agreed. The boy will start pre-season with Liverpool in the summer, and a very interesting one, very tall, but also fast, and so considered as an interesting talent by Liverpool.”

Liverpool also remain interested in Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi and Brentford defender Nathan Collins amid uncertainty about Ibrahima Konate’s future, while captain Virgil van Dijk is 35 in July and out of contract at the end of the 2026/27 campaign.

Nineteen-year-old Italian defender Giovanni Leoni, who arrived from Parma in the summer of 2025, remains sidelined with an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear in his left knee, which he sustained on debut in the Carabao Cup against Southampton in September.