Liverpool Echo: Liverpool are stepping up their efforts to scout youth stars from around the world.

According to the Liverpool Echo, Liverpool are stepping up their efforts to scout young talent from around the world to bolster their youth academy.

After the summer transfer window closed in 2025, Liverpool realized that they needed to strengthen their youth academy talent pool.

To assemble a completely new squad, the club has invested a total of approximately £450 million, of which about £100 million came from the sale of academy players.

Although Trent Alexander-Arnold's move to Real Madrid was not in Liverpool's plans, they still recouped £10 million from his departure so that the La Liga giants could place the full-back in place before the Club World Cup in the United States.

He, along with Cua Anza (£30 million, Bayer Leverkusen), Ben Doc (£25 million, Bournemouth), Morton (£15 million, Lyon), and Kelleher (£18 million, Brentford), were classified as academy graduates sold. Nat Phillips, on the other hand, transferred to West Bromwich Albion for £3 million.

Elliott joined Liverpool from Fulham at the age of 16 and was initially expected to move to Aston Villa for £35 million. However, the Midlands club failed to give him the 10 appearances required to trigger a permanent transfer.

A year ago, Liverpool sold Van den Berg and Fabio Carvalho to Brentford for a total of £52.5 million, while the club had spent less than £10 million on the two when they joined as teenagers.

By giving young players first-team experience, training them in top-level environments, and tailoring loan arrangements for them, Liverpool has earned tens of millions of pounds from resales for most of the past decade.

But last summer, the club realized that the youth academy reserves at the Kirkby AXA training center were running out.

Liverpool earned less than £32 million from player sales this summer, with the bulk of the revenue coming from Curtis Jones' move to Inter Milan.

Stephenson joined Bolton Wanderers for around £700,000, while the fee for Bajczetic's transfer to Celta Vigo was not disclosed, but is believed to be around £1 million.

For clubs that have relied on selling players at high prices in recent years, the decreasing number of assets available for sale has become a problem.

Liverpool only made three permanent signings for their first team during the summer transfer window – Barkola, Jacquet and Victor Muñoz – but still finished with the highest net spending in the Premier League.

In comparison, Manchester City spent £327 million on midfield rebuilding alone, signing Elliott Anderson for £116 million, Enzo Fernandes for £125 million, and Moroccan international Bouadi. Bouadi joined from Lille for £86 million, becoming the most expensive youth player in history.

As more and more clubs accept transfer fees of £100 million or even higher, the importance of generating revenue from player sales will only increase.

Premier League champions Arsenal had a nine-year record broken this summer as Martinelli joined Saudi club Al-Hilal for £65 million, surpassing Liverpool's £35 million payment for Chamberlain in 2017.

However, for Liverpool, the need to rebuild and strengthen their youth academy is very clear, which is why Matt Newbury and his "Global Talent" department have been allowed to ramp up their efforts this year to actively select what they believe to be the most promising young players in world football.

Newbury previously served as Loans and Development Channel Manager and Head of Youth Recruiting, and officially became Global Talent Director in the winter of 2024.

Liverpool scouts gathered enough positive feedback at last year’s U17 World Cup in Qatar that they finalized the signing of two centre-backs in January.

Ndukwe and Ndiaye subsequently joined Liverpool after their performances in the Middle East. The Reds paid approximately £2.3 million and £1 million respectively for the defensive duo. The two later partnered up for the club's pre-season tour in the United States under the management of Iraola.

Their arrival freed up a place for Amara Narod, allowing him to join HJK Helsinki in Finland on loan. Liverpool had been eager to complete this arrangement as soon as possible to help him gain first-team experience.

Ndukwe joined the club in July after turning 18 in March, and has been the most impressive player. He partnered with Van Dijk in the first half of a friendly against Monaco at Anfield last month.

Subsequently, the tall Austrian player was loaned to Levante after Liverpool received a series of offers from clubs across Europe.

Clubs from Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium and Denmark have all expressed interest in Ndukwe, and Liverpool are also carefully assessing his future.

Ndukwe has yet to make an appearance for Levante, having been on the bench for his last three La Liga matches. However, just one more game will give him the points needed for a UK work permit. Liverpool have high hopes for the 18-year-old centre-back's long-term prospects.

Van Dijk said last month, "Of course I watched those games in the U.S. preseason. He's a very talented player, very tall, and willing to learn. I've spoken to him briefly, especially in the last few days. For him, the key is to keep improving."

Earlier this year, Liverpool also signed another defender, Noah Adkoa, from Burnley, and recently signed Scottish youth international Dara Gikiemie from Celtic.

Colombian youth international Samuel Martinez will join from Atlético Nacional next year for a transfer fee of £700,000.

This attacking midfielder had attracted the attention of several European giants, including Barcelona and Chelsea, but Borussia Dortmund had the strongest interest before Liverpool's eventual victory.

Liverpool also tried to sign Georgian midfielder Baltishvili, but lost out to Arsenal last month in the race to sign the 17-year-old from Corhti for just under £4 million.

Baltishvili is often compared to his compatriot, Paris Saint-Germain star Kvalatschlia, who will officially join Arsenal in 2027 after turning 18.

But what truly demonstrates Liverpool's desire to stay ahead in the race for top young stars is the signing of Luca Bruchmans for £30 million at the end of last month.

Anfield were initially not optimistic about signing Bruchmans from Genk because Real Madrid had entered the competition.

18-year-old Bruchmans had previously expressed his admiration for Courtois, and it was widely believed that the Genk goalkeeper would follow in his idol's footsteps and head to the Bernabéu Stadium.

But Liverpool intensified their interest in the final days before the transfer window closed, ultimately signing Bruchmans to a six-year contract, making him the most expensive youth goalkeeper in football history.

Belgian media referred to the fee as the "Courtois tax," but Liverpool downplayed the figure, saying it was merely a nominal transfer fee with accompanying bonuses.

Liverpool began to keep a closer eye on Bruchmans during the 2025 European U17 Championship, when he led Belgium to the semi-finals against Albania.

He has already made 15 appearances for Genk, and his senior team experience has helped Newbury and his team convince the club that the youngster is worth the investment.

Last Sunday, Genk drew 0-0 away to Anderlecht, and Bruchmans won Man of the Match in his first appearance since joining Liverpool, which was an ideal way for him to showcase his abilities under greater scrutiny.

Genk manager Jess Solup said last week: "Of course, a lot is on his shoulders. Because of the amount Liverpool paid, everyone is watching him. I will protect him when the time is right, because we also can't forget that being Genk's number one goalkeeper is still a very new thing for him."

Bruchmans' arrival comes just a year after Liverpool signed Hungarian goalkeeper Armin Pécs from Puskás Academy last summer for around £1.2 million.

Pécs is currently on loan to TSV Hartberg in the Austrian Bundesliga. Last season, he helped Puskás Académie Franz finish as runners-up in the Hungarian top flight, making 30 appearances. Based on these performances, he was shortlisted for the 2025 Golden Boy award, which was ultimately won by Dué of Paris Saint-Germain.

Page and Szoboszlai are under the same agency, and he made his senior national team debut in June.

Liverpool have also confirmed a £4.3 million deal with Saint-Étienne to sign French youth team striker Gillian Nguessán. Under this special agreement, the teenager will officially become a Liverpool player in January, but will remain in Brest for the remainder of the season.

While the summer transfer window was relatively quiet in terms of first-team signings, Liverpool's efforts to strengthen their squad at the younger age levels have clearly been ongoing throughout the year.