Liverpool sign 18-year-old N'Guessan from Saint-Etienne for £4.3m after window closes

Liverpool have announced the signing of Djylian N’Guessan from Saint-Etienne, completing the deal in the days following the closure of the summer transfer window on 1 September. The French teenager will officially join the club in January for a guaranteed fee of around £4.3m, with a sell-on clause also included in the agreement.

N’Guessan, who turned 18 this year, arrives with a growing reputation in French football having already made 13 senior appearances for the Ligue 1 side — a notable tally for a player of his age. Liverpool moved to secure his signature before a rival club could act in a future window.

Despite completing the move, N’Guessan will not head straight to Merseyside. He is set to spend the rest of the 2026-27 campaign on loan at Stade Brestois, allowing him to continue developing in competitive first-team football before linking up with Arne Slot’s squad.

The deal underlines Liverpool’s continued focus on identifying and securing young talent early, a strategy that has shaped much of their recent recruitment. Signing players after the window shuts — with a January arrival date — is a permitted mechanism under transfer regulations, provided personal terms and a fee are agreed before the deadline passes or the agreement is structured as a future transfer.

N’Guessan becomes one of the more intriguing young additions to Liverpool’s pipeline, and supporters will be watching his loan spell at Brest closely as an indicator of when he might be ready to feature for the first team.