New Liverpool wonderkid Ifeanyi Ndukwe has been one of their standout performers in pre-season, but he can only play once more for the club this year.

The Reds have had a mixed pre-season. They opened up their pre-season with a 4-2 victory over Sunderland, before beating Championship outfit Wrexham at Yankee Stadium.

Liverpool then lost 4-2 to Premier League rivals Leeds United, while on Sunday, they were beaten 3-2 by Ligue 1 side Monaco at Anfield.

Anondi Iraola’s side took a 2-0 lead inside the opening half-an-hour thanks to goals from Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz. But three unanswered goals from the away side meant they were beaten for the second consecutive match.

Ifeanyi Ndukwe Can’t Play Competitive Matches For Liverpool in 2026

Andoni Iraola via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

Ndukwe has been named in the starting lineup for all four of Liverpool’s pre-season matches so far. The 18-year-old, who joined the club from Austria Wien in a £2.6 million deal this summer, has been superb, and he was again impressive against Monaco.

The Austria U21 international, who was playing alongside Virgil van Dijk in the centre of defence, played the opening 45 minutes before being subbed off at half-time. He was successful in all four of his duels, won all three of his tackles and completed 23 of his 24 passes.

He’s earned rave reviews for his performances but, unfortunately, he will not be able to play for Liverpool when the 26/27 campaign officially gets underway.

That’s due to work-permit reasons. As first reported by the Athletic, Ndukwe does not have the required number of points on his work permit to play for Liverpool’s first team this upcoming campaign.

That means the defender, who stands at 6 foot 6 inches, is expected to go out on loan in order to play first-team football. He will have one more opportunity to put on a red shirt this year; when Liverpool face Como at Anfield in their final pre-season match on Sunday August 16.

Liverpool’s issues at centre-back mean Ndukwe would likely have been in and around the first-team should he have been available.

Austria Wien Chief Speaks Out About Ndukwe’s Liverpool Move

Speaking after Ndukwe’s move to Liverpool was completed, Austria Vienna sporting director Michael Wagner explained why it was ‘a win-win situation’ for both clubs.

He said, per the Liverpool Echo: “It is a great honour that one of the world’s best football clubs has shown interest in one of our home-grown players. The agreement with Liverpool FC is structured in such a way that Austria Vienna will come out well in any scenario, regardless of whether the option is exercised or not.

“For me, this is a clear win-win situation for both clubs. Above all, this story is a great tribute to the excellent work that is done in our academy every day. We have a number of players here with enormous potential, which we want to exploit even more in future and thus become a springboard for talented players into Europe’s top leagues – Austria Vienna is the right club for this.

“We were aware that there would be a lot of interest in our three U17 team players in particular after they reached the World Cup final.

“Basically, our goal is for our talented players to first establish themselves in the first team and thus recommend themselves for higher tasks.

“In this case, the overall package – both Liverpool FC’s offer to Austria and the prospects for Ifeanyi Ndukwe – was a perfect fit for everyone involved.”

Celtic are reportedly ready to make a move to sign Hearts star Claudio Braga ahead of Rangers in the summer transfer window.

We’ve already seen multiple times in the last few weeks that Celtic and Rangers are going head-to-head on targets, which is no surprise.

The two Glasgow clubs are often shopping in a similar market due to their stature in Scotland, although Celtic might have an advantage after their 25/26 season.

Celtic have already strengthened their forward line in the summer window, bringing in Camilo Duran and Kasper Hogh, but further forward additions could be around the corner.

Martin O’Neill’s side kick-started their Scottish Premiership campaign last week, beating Dundee with a 1-0 victory in their opening game.

Celtic readying attacker move

Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers

Celtic are reportedly ready to make a move to sign Hearts attacker Braga in the summer transfer window, according to Football Insider.

Rangers are also believed to be interested in the Portuguese forward, who scored 14 goals in the Scottish Premiership last season.

Braga won the Scottish Premiership’s Player of the Season award, so it’s no surprise to see he’s attracting interest from the biggest clubs in the league.

The 26-year-old, described as ‘exceptional’ by Rangers manager Derek McInnes, will likely be attracted to a move to one of the Scottish giants, particularly after Hearts failed to lift the title last season.

Whether Hearts would be willing to sell to a Scottish rival remains to be seen, but Celtic certainly have more financial power.

Celtic should have advantage

Unfortunately for Rangers, Celtic are likely to hold an advantage over their Scottish rivals when it comes to new additions in the summer window.

Celtic are in the qualifiers for the Champions League after they lifted the Scottish Premiership title last season, while Rangers finished in third place.

Despite that, Celtic have already brought two strikers to the club in the summer transfer window, which could mean a club like Rangers are able to offer more regular minutes.

Celtic do appear more ready to make a move for the Portuguese forward, but it certainly doesn’t feel like a priority position for them to strengthen in the market.

Manchester United are eyeing a move to sign Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton in the summer transfer window, with Caught Offside providing the details around a potential deal.

The Red Devils have already strengthened significantly in the middle of the park in the summer, bringing in Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans.

Despite that, United could be in the market for a third midfielder, with Casemiro departing and Manuel Ugarte suffering a serious knee injury.

Although Santos and Tielemans can be considered potential replacements for Ugarte and Casemiro, United could be looking to build a deeper squad due to competing in the Champions League.

United have already been linked with a host of midfielders this summer, and there are a few names reportedly on the list:

Man Utd eyeing midfield reinforcements

via Reuters

According to a report from Caught Offside, Manchester United are one of the sides showing an interest in Crystal Palace midfielder Wharton in the summer transfer window.

It is claimed that a number of clubs are believed to be keen on the England international, and his big valuation does appear to be an obstacle for United.

Palace are reportedly demanding in the region of £86 million to allow Wharton to depart, which has prevented negotiations with United from accelerating.

Chelsea and Real Madrid are also believed to be interested in signing Wharton, but he remains firmly on United’s list as they aim to sign a third midfielder.

Wharton could be game-changer for United

via Reuters

Wharton, described as a ‘superstar’ by journalist Josh Fordham, could be a game-changing addition for United in the middle of the park.

Wharton is one of the most progressive midfielders in the Premier League, and there’s no doubt he’d be a smart addition for many top clubs.

The main issue is that United may be looking to add more of a destroyer in the middle of the park. It’s always going to be difficult to turn down a player of Wharton’s calibre if he’s keen on the move.

£86 million could put United off when it comes to pushing forward with a deal, but that certainly wouldn’t make it a bad signing for the Red Devils.