Liverpool are set to complete the paperwork on the signing of Holland youth international Ki-Jana Hoever at the end of the month, according to the Echo.
The newspaper claim the Merseyside giants have beaten off interest from Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United to reach an agreement for the capture of the 16-year-old full-back.
The Echo report Hoever has already started training with Liverpool at the academy base in Kirkby but will not be able to make his competitive debut for the club until he is granted international clearance, with the paperwork to be signed off at the end of August.
Good move for Liverpool?
There are no guarantees when it comes to young players, who all develop at different rates and don’t always realise the immense potential they have in their teens. Nevertheless, it is a great sign of Hoever’s promise that Liverpool’s title rivals Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City have all tried to sign the Dutchman but have been beaten to the punch by a club who put an emphasis on developing young players and providing a pathway to the first team. The Echo report that Hoever has played most of his football to date out wide, as a right-back, but he is expected to eventually develop into a centre-back. The ideal inspiration for him should be Joe Gomez, who joined aged 17 and has played almost all of his football for Liverpool to date at right-back, but is now being converted into a senior centre-back.
This Is Futbol rating 7/10
Likely to happen?
Given that Hoever is already training with Liverpool’s Unde-18s squad, this is a done deal. Much to Ajax’s displeasure, the rising star of Dutch football, who was a regular in the Dutch Eredivisie Under-17 league last season, will imminently be confirmed as a Liverpool player once the final red-tape hurdles are cleared.
This Is Futbol rating 10/10