Liverpool Signs Djylian N'Guessan for Future Attack

Liverpool are building a forward line for a future they won’t see for years – and they’re doing it now, in the final days of the window.

While the headlines circle around the expected arrival of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain, the club have quietly moved on another attacking piece. According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign St Etienne striker Djylian N'Guessan, with the teenager scheduled to land at Anfield in the summer of 2027.

No announcement yet, no fanfare, and no fee disclosed. But the framework is in place. Romano reports that Liverpool have an agreement not only with St Etienne but also on the player’s side, with N'Guessan authorised to undergo a medical as part of the process.

This is the second time in quick succession that Liverpool have committed serious planning – and money – to tomorrow rather than today. The Merseyside club have already struck a €35 million deal with Genk for goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans, who, like N'Guessan, will not arrive until next summer. It is a clear pattern: secure the talent, let it grow elsewhere, and collect the finished article later.

For supporters, it’s a double-edged feeling. The long-term vision is obvious, even admirable, but the need for immediate first-team firepower still hangs over this window. Another forward is on the club’s radar for the present; N'Guessan is not that man. He is a bet on what Liverpool’s attack might look like three years from now.

Who is Djylian N'Guessan?

N'Guessan only turned 18 recently, but St Etienne have already pushed him towards senior football. A centre-forward by trade, he can also operate in wide areas, offering the kind of positional flexibility modern coaches crave.

He has made 13 senior appearances so far, with several of those coming in the 2024-25 season, a sign that St Etienne see more than just raw potential. Even so, most of his minutes have come with the club’s B team and under-19 side, where he has been allowed to develop away from the harshest spotlight.

On the international stage, N'Guessan is capped up to under-20 level for his country, another marker of how highly he is regarded within his age group.

For Liverpool, the logic is simple. Keep him in France, let him play, let him make mistakes somewhere else. Remaining at St Etienne looks a smarter route for his development than dropping straight into the intensity and expectation of Anfield at 18.

The club’s recruitment team have chosen their moment early. The real question is what kind of player N'Guessan will be when he finally walks through the doors in 2027 – and what sort of Liverpool he will be walking into.