Liverpool have agreed an initial €5m (£4.25m) deal to sign Saint-Etienne forward Djylian N'Guessan, though the 18-year-old will not officially arrive at Anfield until next summer. According to reports from the Liverpool Echo, N'Guessan will sign a pre-contract agreement in January 2027 before transferring permanently upon the expiry of his Saint-Etienne contract. In the interim, the teenage prospect has completed a season-long loan move to Ligue 1 side Brest to continue his development.
Loan logistics and registration limits
The structure of the transfer is heavily dictated by governing registration rules. As first reported by the Liverpool Echo, Liverpool could not sign N'Guessan and loan him out directly because they have already filled their allotted overseas loan slots, notably with Harvey Elliott joining Valencia on a temporary basis. To bypass this limitation, Saint-Etienne officially loaned N'Guessan to Brest on 3 September. The French club will retain his registration until his contract expires at the end of the season, meaning Brest will manage his development in Ligue 1 while Liverpool await his official arrival in July 2027.
Forward planning under Andoni Iraola
The acquisition of the French teenager fits Liverpool’s long-term recruitment strategy under head coach Andoni Iraola. French publication L'Equipe reports that Liverpool intend to develop the young player, whose physical and technical profile they compare in some ways to Hugo Ekitike. At 18, N'Guessan represents a low-cost, high-upside addition to the club's attacking ranks. His progress during his temporary stint at Brest will be closely monitored by Anfield staff before he joins up with Iraola's first-team squad for pre-season training in 2027.
