Real Madrid 'ready to woo' Liverpool wonderkid; Richard Hughes knows he must take immediate action

Reports in Spain claim Real Madrid are ready to make a concerted push to prise Rio Ngumoha away from Liverpool and with his contract due to expire in just under 10 months, though TEAMtalk can reveal why Richard Hughes and Co are well on top of the teenage superstar’s situation.

The Liverpool No.73 has shown he is ready to start making a big name for himself, having impressed Arne Slot by having a hand in four goals (two goals, two assists) over their pre-season campaign. Since then, Ngumoha has become Liverpool‘s youngest-ever goalscorer, having scored a brilliantly taken winner in their 3-2 success at Newcastle last month, days before his 17th birthday.

While Ngumoha’s talent have been well known to Liverpool fans ever since his high-profile move to Anfield from Chelsea last summer, his deal on Merseyside is currently due to expire in June 2026 – meaning the Reds now face the possible loss of their new burgeoning talent in the coming months.

Those fears have now been compounded by strong reports via Defensa Central that claim Real Madrid are ‘keeping a close eye on his situation’.

Their report states Ngumoha ‘has been wooed’ by Real Madrid and is ‘being targeted’ by the La Liga champions, who know ‘his name will be in the spotlight sooner rather than later’.

The Reds have already lost Trent Alexander-Arnold to the Spanish giants in recent months, while both Ibrahima Konate and Alexis Mac Allister have been strongly tipped as targets for Xabi Alonso’s side heading into 2026.

However, Defensa Central‘s report claims the 17-year-old Ngomoha will be the next top Liverpool star in Los Blancos’ sights – and they worryingly claim the teenager has ‘made it clear that he has a certain love for Real Madrid’ and that the La Liga giants are ‘closely monitoring’ his progress in case a deal can be done.

Despite that, there is a confidence that Liverpool do not need to worry with efforts to pin the teenage wonderkid down to a new deal already underway…

IN-DEPTH 🔴 The key contract details of every Liverpool first-team player: Expiry dates, weekly wages, agents…

Liverpool ready to hand Rio Ngumoha new deal amid Ballon d’Or claim

Given his age, Liverpool will only be able to land Ngumoha a full-time deal once he turns 18 and, while there is no official word on that happening, Richard Hughes is obviously well aware of the situation, and we understand moves will soon be made to secure the talented teen down to a long-term deal on Merseyside with reports of a minimum four-year term already being discussed.

Hughes, for his part, will be all too aware of the player’s increasing importance to Slot. And after the teenager was named named in their Champions League squad, at the expense of Federico Chiesa, the Reds chief will likely make his extension one of his top priorities over the coming weeks and months.

As per Defensa, Liverpool are ‘already working to renew his contract’ and ‘everything is in the hands of the young player, who will have to make a decision in the coming months’.

In the meantime, Ngumoha has no shortage of confidence and believes he will one day be recognised as the world’s top player.

“I truly believe I can win the Ballon d’Or one day. I want to be regarded as one of the best players to ever play football and be a legend of the game,” he revealed recently.

His Reds teammate Mo Salah, meanwhile, has also handed Ngumoha some timely advice.

“He’s still so young. I told him after the game: ‘Just leave the social media alone’. OK, you can be happy about the goal with your family, with your friends. Enjoy the moment to the max because it’s like your first moments in football,” he told the Men in Blazers podcast.

“But don’t really get engaged and just get your appreciation from the outside world because it’s always going to be fake. You’re going to always try to seek that – that feeling from outside if you just get the appreciation from outside.

“So what future is waiting for him? It depends how he’s going to handle the situation. How are we going to work? I need to work hard and just stay humble because he’s very young. I told him that some players peak too early and they’re going to struggle after that.

“I really wish him the best. He has a good group (here around him) and we always try to speak with him – and the manager (Arne Slot) also speaks to him, so he just needs to stay humble and work and see how things go.”

Liverpool latest: Isak offers Newcastle olive branch; Guehi plan clear

Meanwhile, Alexander Isak’s agent has spoken out once again on the striker’s record-breaking move to Liverpool, calling the switch “history in the making”, though the Sweden star has attempted to hand out an olive branch to Newcastle with a farewell message of his own.

On the subject of Isak, Anthony Gordon and Sven Botman’s decision to go public and wish the Swede all the best for the future suggests there are plenty of unspoken truths around his move to Anfield, with two pundits explaining why all is not as it seems over the high-profile transfer.

And finally, the future of Marc Guehi has become a whole lot clearer after a report made two strong claims that affect both Crystal Palace and Liverpool.

Rio Ngumoha takes top spot in Liverpool’s youngest-ever goalscorers chart

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