Liverpool have signed several top young centre-backs over the last few transfer windows.
Last summer we saw Giovanni Leoni arrive on a deal worth £26m from Parma. That signing was followed up by the acquisition of Mor Talla Ndiaye in January.
And Richard Hughes and Arne Slot have put in place agreements for both Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Jeremy Jacquet to join in summer 2026.
With so many moving parts around Liverpool’s senior centre-back options it makes a lot of sense to safeguard the position long into the future.
Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are both out of contract in 2027 while Ibrahima Konate could be walking out the door for free in a matter of weeks.
And now it looks as though the Reds have managed to secure themselves another top young central defensive talent.
The outgoing Premier League champions were first reported to be interested in Celtic’s Dara Jikiemi back in November.
Since then links with the 16-year-old Scottish youth international have been extensive. Given his age Celtic would be powerless to prevent their academy standout from leaving - and would be entitled to training compensation if he goes.
And now Peter O’Rourke is reporting that an agreement has been finalised for Jikiemi to arrive on July 1.
“Liverpool have agreed a deal with Celtic for young defender Dara Jikiemi with the Scottish champions receiving training compensation for the centre-back,” he writes on X.
“Jikiemi will make the move to Anfield on July 1st and link up with the club’s academy.”
It is likely that Jikiemi will be placed with Liverpool’s U18s once he joins - becoming another strong example of the club’s recent shift in recruitment strategies.
Brexit has meant an increased focus on securing the best British talents at underage level - with the likes of Rio Ngumoha, Trey Nyoni and James McConnell joining the Reds before making the step up into the first team.
Of course Ben Gannon Doak has also walked the path from Celtic to Liverpool - before moving on to Bournemouth and earning the Reds a good sum in the transfer market.
The club will no doubt be hoping Jikiemi can become a similar success story - and the hard work for the Scot will start this summer.
