Wonderkid Liverpool signing approved by Jurgen Klopp

Liverpool have taken a liking to Borussia Monchengladbach sensation Wael Mohya in light of his stunning emergence this year.

Having broken into the team last season, the 17-year-old is once again the only flicker of hope in what is shaping up to be a nightmarish campaign for Gladbach, who have become perennial strugglers in the Bundesliga in recent times.

One of German football's most storied teams, Gladbach are battling against the drop and are currently rooted to the bottom of the table, with just one win from their opening nine matches. On 13 September, coach Eugen Polanski was sacked and replaced by Alexander Blessin.

Performances have improved in recent weeks, thanks in no small part to Mohya. The versatile attacker scored and provided an assist in Gladbach's 3-2 win against Stuttgart, and he also found the back of the net the week prior versus Hoffenheim.

He is the club's great hope in their battle for survival and has already matched his attacking output from last season, when he played 549 minutes across 15 appearances. His form is increasingly making him a man - or boy - in demand.

Mohya, who can feature in pretty much every attacking position, plays with his heart on his sleeve. He is a boyhood Gladbach fan and grew up just 25 minutes down the road from the team's Borussia-Park.

Last year, he was briefly a free agent for a few days because Gladbach failed to extend his contract. However, president Rainer Bonhof knew that the club could not afford to lose this incredible talent and personally saw to it that Mohya stayed.

The youngster was handed a lucrative contract (for a teenager), but due to his rapid development, he is in line for fresh terms. Gladbach are determined to extend his contract and acknowledge that they will likely have to grant him a release clause to keep him.

At this stage, it is not yet clear which way the negotiations will go. It is possible that Mohya extends and stays put for another season, but this is predicated on the club remaining in the Bundesliga.

Due to Gladbach's precarious position in the table, suitors are beginning to move for Mohya. Virtually all major Bundesliga clubs, including Bayern Munich, hold an interest in the 17-year-old, while there are also "numerous" foreign admirers, as per Sky Germany.

According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool are one of the non-German teams keeping tabs on Mohya's development. He is on the Reds' shortlist and is "primed to make a high-profile move."

A January transfer is out of the question, but Gladbach know that they will have to sell sooner rather than later. Unless they can miraculously turn their fortunes around in the Bundesliga, the teenager will likely be gone in the summer, despite his strong ties to the club.

It is too early to predict where Mohya might end up, but the fact that he has high-profile admirers isn't surprising. In fact, legendary Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is one of them.

The 59-year-old surprisingly included Mohya in his latest Germany squad. If we're being cynical, his call-up has probably more to do with his dual-national status than with his impressive performances. Mohya is also eligible for Morocco, who have been desperately trying to recruit him.

Calling him up is a way of showing him that he is in Klopp's plans going forward, even if he won't make his debut in this upcoming break. If he were to get on the pitch, he would become just the fifth U18 player to feature for the German first team and only the second this century after Youssoufa Moukoko in 2022.

Cynicism aside, Klopp is clearly excited to work with the youngster. "There aren’t many 17-year-olds playing in the Bundesliga - that alone is an outstanding characteristic. But he’s also doing well," the manager explained.

Indeed, his growth has been evident. As per the November update of FootballTransfers' Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) algorithm, Mohya is now the fourth-most-valuable U18 talent in the world. His ETV of €15.9m puts him only behind Max Dowman, Kennet Eichhorn and Jeremy Monga.

Nevertheless, Klopp insisted that he is not "making any promises right now;" he really just wants to get a look at the prospect. "As a coach, your job isn't just to make sure the lads are playing in their best position and performing to their potential.

"You also have a duty of care, of course. And the younger the lads are, the greater that duty is. We agreed to take him with us. To see him, so to speak. To give us a week to watch him in training."

Klopp will stick with this approach of reserving a place for young talents. He intends to "continue having a spot on the team where we say: 'Let's see if he plays, if he even makes the squad.'

"That depends on his performance in training. I've had three conversations with him, and they were excellent. I wasn't that confident at 17, but I also wasn't that good at 17."

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