1 week ago
1 Liverpool are reportedly closing in on the signing of England youth international Calum Scanlon.
The Reds have had a number of players from their academy play for the first team this season – Curtis Jones, Neco Williams, Rhys Williams, Caoimhin Kelleher and Leighton Clarkson all given their chance by Jurgen Klopp.
Jones and Neco Williams (right) are gaining more first-team experience at Liverpool, while Harvey Elliott (left) is excelling on loan at BlackburnGETTY
And it looks like the Premier League champions will be bolstering their youth talent with The Times saying they’ve had an offer understood to be less than £500,000 for Scanlon accepted by his club Birmingham.
The report adds that Scanlon and his family are now considering a move to Merseyside as the 15-year-old looks to enter the next stage of his development.
Liverpool boss Klopp has worked closely with academy director Alex Inglethorpe, making the club an ideal destination for emerging talent.
Jones has been the main success story from the academy this term as he’s made himself a regular in the first team’s starting XI.
Can Scanlon follow in the footsteps of Jones?AFP or licensors
Liverpool’s Under-23 coach Gary O’Neil was raving about the midfielder’s talent on talkSPORT this week and also revealed the other youngsters fans should have their eye on.
Meanwhile, The Times says Birmingham recently conducted an internal review of their approach to developing young players and are considering remodelling their academy into a ‘B and C Team’ system.
It’s understood Liverpool’s interest in Scanlon predates this development, however it will only lead to more rumours about the futures of other youngsters on Birmingham’s books.
Jobe Bellingham, the 15-year-old younger brother of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude, is understood to be on the radar of a few Premier League clubs and Dortmund.
Jude Bellingham, 17, has been Birmingham’s most high-profile academy graduate, joining Dortmund last summer for an initial £25million.
The midfielder made his senior England debut last month in a friendly against the Republic of Ireland.
Jack Butland, Nathan Redmond and Demarai Gray have also emerged from Birmingham’s academy in previous years.
Bellingham has played in 11 of Dortmund’s 13 Bundesliga matches this seasonGetty Images - Getty
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