Liverpool still face having to pay compensation to Chelsea over the signing of 16-year-old forward Rio Ngumoha, almost a year after the move happened.
Ngumoha is the youngest goalscorer in Liverpool’s storied history after his winning strike against Newcastle United on Monday night—it also put him fourth in the Premier League record books.
The London-born teenager is viewed as a generational talent, which explains why Chelsea are so peeved at losing him. Ngumoha was the jewel in Chelsea’s academy until he became a Liverpool player last September, having spent eight years developing at Cobham.
The Daily Mail describes Chelsea as being “at war” with Liverpool over Ngumoha. Young talents can be poached by rival academies due to the nature of youth contracts, but FA rules dictate that a club must pay compensation for a player who is out of contract. That protection exists up to the age of 23.
16-year-old Rio Ngumoha, Liverpool's newest hero! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/qwmUpIBHrI
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 25, 2025
A tribunal was called to determine what fee Liverpool should pay for Ngumoha, but there has yet been no decision. The plus side for Chelsea is that the youngster’s impact on his Premier League debut could “strengthen their case for significant compensation”. That still might be of little consolation if Ngumoha goes on to become a superstar in the future, as is expected.
A previous tribunal in 2021 ordered Liverpool to compensate Fulham with up to £4.3 million ($5.7 million) for Harvey Elliott—the midfielder had made the switch to Anfield almost two years earlier. That amount was a record fee for a 16-year-old player that is likely to be broken by Ngumoha.
Liverpool had poached a 19-year-old Dominic Solanke from Chelsea in 2017. Although the Reds wanted to pay £3 million and the Blues were demanding as much as £10 million, they eventually reached a compromise without the need for a tribunal. Liverpool ultimately profited, able to sell Solanke on to Bournemouth for £19 million only 18 months after signing him.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Liverpool ‘at War’ With Premier League Rival Over Teen Sensation Rio Ngumoha.
