Wayne Rooney has confirmed that Derby County wonderkid Kaide Gordon will be joining Liverpool after the Reds held talks about signing him.
The 16-year-old – who has been likened to Mohamed Salah – has rejected the Championship side’s offer of a new contract.
Rooney sympathised with the teenager, saying how hard it is to ignore interest when it’s coming from the Premier League champions.
When asked if Gordon was joining Liverpool, the Mirror quote the Rams boss as saying: “It looks that way. Kaide is a fantastic player. I brought him into the first-team squad because he was showing the qualities I want.
“We offered him a deal which he didn’t take. Liverpool have become aware of that and stepped in. Once a team like Liverpool come in for one of your players it is hard to turn that down.”
While this is gutting news for Derby, it is exciting for Liverpool.
Gordon has scored three goals in five Under-18 Premier League games this season, at an age ranking two years higher than where he’s meant to be.
Despite being just 16 years of age, the attacker has already made his first-team debut for the Rams, stepping off the bench against Birmingham in December.
The England Under-16 international was named Derby’s Academy Player of the Year last season, and looks to be a seriously bright talent.
As the Mirror state, Gordon is also Derby’s fourth-youngest player of all time, after Mason Bennett, Lee Holmes and Steve Powell.
While it seems unlikely that he’ll go straight into Liverpool’s first-team, there’s no denying that Jurgen Klopp is building an eye-catching next generation.
The Reds already have 17-year-old wonderkid Harvey Elliott in their ranks, a player who could dominate English football in years to come alongside Gordon.
That is, of course, on the basis that they both fulfil their huge potential.
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