Liverpool ordered to pay Chelsea £2.8m compensation because of Rio Ngumoha | Football | Sport

Liverpool have been instructed to hand Chelsea £2.8million following a tribunal’s ruling on the signing of Rio Ngumoha. The 17-year-old attacker moved to Liverpool in September 2024 after departing Chelsea’s youth set-up, entitling the Blues to financial compensation. Chelsea were understood to be incensed when Ngumoha opted for Liverpool, having recognised his exceptional ability and tabled multiple contract proposals in an attempt to retain him.

His choice to reject their advances and relocate to Merseyside led to a deterioration in relations between the two Premier League powerhouses. Reports suggest Chelsea subsequently barred Liverpool’s youth scouts from attending academy fixtures following Ngumoha’s exit. He was 16 when he joined the Reds in controversial circumstances, triggering a Professional Football Compensation Committee (PFCC) tribunal.

The tribunal was required to establish the sum Chelsea were due for contributing to Ngumoha’s progression. The Athletic reports that the decision, which cannot be appealed, has now been delivered to both clubs.

Liverpool will be obliged to pay their adversaries an initial sum of £2.8m, which could rise substantially depending on various conditions. It may climb to £6.8m should specific targets – concerning senior outings, contracts and international honours – be achieved.

Chelsea will also receive 20 per cent of any profit if Ngumoha is transferred to another club in the future. Ngumoha has already represented England at youth level and is currently featuring for the under-19s, having made eight appearances and scored once.

Ngumoha has turned out 14 times for Arne Slot’s first team at Liverpool since his debut in January 2025, becoming the club’s youngest ever FA Cup player. He netted a memorable winner after entering as a substitute during a 3-2 triumph over Newcastle in August and has been a regular fixture in Premier League matchday squads throughout the campaign.

“I think he has the most minutes of all 17-year-olds in the Premier League. So that tells you how much playing time he gets, how special that already is for a 17-year-old,” Slot remarked in December when questioned about Ngumoha. “That also tells you something about his quality, because it’s not completely normal for a 17-year-old already to have as much playing time as he had.

“But it also tells you something about the availability in those areas. For the weekend that position’s not my biggest concern, I would say. So hopefully Cody [Gakpo] is back, not sure but hopefully, Federico [Chiesa] can play there, Florian [Wirtz] can play there, so if he would be a player in a different position he would probably have even more chance to come in. But it’s the same for all the other players.”