€39m star says he’s ready to sign Liverpool contract

Liverpool star Rio Ngumoha says that he is ready to sign a new contract with the Anfield club, having made an impressive star to the season.

Ngumoha, 18, has made a promising start to his third campaign with the Reds, featuring on eight occasions. He has also played two matches for England.

Amid speculation that Arsenal were monitoring his situation in the summer, Liverpool are ready to hand the teenager a contract extension to his existing deal, which runs until 2028.

The former Chelsea youth has spoken publicly about the issue, revealing that talks are progressing well.

“It's all with my agent now. I think it is all going well. I am not too sure,” he told reporters after Liverpool beat Brentford 2-1 in the Premier League on Saturday.

“I just let the football do the talking, I enjoy playing and all of that is in the back of my mind. I just play for Liverpool, and hopefully I can carry on doing well.”

Iraola admits Ngumoha is not the finished article

Ngumoha has long been earmarked as a star for the future, with the 18-year-old’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) climbing to €39.2 million.

One thing that he will be seeking to polish in his game in the coming months is his output. While he is a player with a capability of thrilling supporters with his daring dribbling, in 38 senior appearances for Liverpool, he has scored only two goals and laid on a single assist.

This has been recognised by manager Andoni Iraola, who has limited the youngster’s game time in order to preserve his fitness but has also been working with him on his decision making, according to The Athletic.

“I think he knows that he is elite at certain things,” the Liverpool manager told the media prior to the Brentford match. “If you want to put someone one versus one then Rio is one of the best players you would choose.

“There are areas he has to improve, especially without the ball. He has to get used to the demands of the Premier League in terms of duels.

“We have to help him because luckily for us he is not the finished product. He can still improve because he is still 18 and I hope we can help him with these processes.”

Ngumoha has previously spoken of his admiration for Iraola.

“The gaffer at Liverpool has really been helpful,” Ngumoha told reporters while on England duty ahead of their upcoming Nations League matches. “And all the coaching staff as well - I can't speak highly enough of them.

“But I'm enjoying it. I'm playing left wing, right wing as well. So it's given me another tool to destroy defenders.”

All the signs therefore point to Ngumoha extending his stay with Liverpool.