Why wonderkid Kennet Eichhorn turned down Liverpool move despite 'intensive efforts' from club

Liverpool have been turned down by one of Europe's most exciting wonderkids despite making "intensive efforts" to sign the prospect.

The Reds are set for a major squad refresh under new boss Andoni Iraola, who replaced Arne Slot following his dismissal.

However, Liverpool have already suffered a major setback in a pursuit of one of their top targets after he rejected their proposal.

According to journalist Florian Plettenberg, Liverpool moved to sign Hertha Berlin's Kennet Eichhorn, who has emerged into one of the top talents in world football.

The 16-year-old midfield sensation showed huge intelligence in his maiden season with Hertha, playing 18 times and helping the Berlin giants finish seventh in the 2.Bundesliga.

His composed displays have attracted interest from a host of sides, with Liverpool pushing to secure his signature.

READ MORE: Andoni Iraola has made telling comments over huge Liverpool transfer as £100m price tag set

Of all the offers on the table, Liverpool are believed to have made the most attractive proposal when it comes to finances.

However that was not enough to convince Kennet Eichhorn as he wishes to remain in Germany - even with clubs in his home country offering less.

Eichhorn still looks set to move on from Hertha, with Bayer Leverkusen "pushing hard for a permanent deal" and RB Leipzig still harbouring hopes of winning the race.

Wonderkid blocked from signing for Liverpool this summer as rules revealed

Eichhorn, who broke Jude Bellingham's record to become the youngest scorer in the German cup, turns 17 in July.

But even if Liverpool beat off competition from other clubs to sign him, they would not have been able to integrate him into their squad for the 2026/27 campaign.

That's because after the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union, rules stipulate that players from Europe cannot sign for an English club until they are 18.

Eichhorn would therefore have to wait until next year as Liverpool would also be prohibited from signing him and loaning him out, while a pre-contract agreement is not particularly common in Europe.

"Worth mentioning that Liverpool cannot sign Kennet Eichhorn this summer," Dale Johnson of the BBC wrote on X last month.

"He's 16. He can join a club in any other major European league now, but post-Brexit you have to be 18 to sign for an English club.

"And you can't sign the player now and loan them out until they are 18.

"You can take the South American route, pre-sign talent to move when they turn 18. This would be very unusual within Europe, because there is so much internal competition.

"So, unless he qualifies for a UK passport, Eichhorn can't sign for an English club until July 2027."

It now looks as though Liverpool will miss out on Eichhorn altogether after he decided against moving to England for the next stage of his development.