Liverpool Face Battle To Keep 15-Year-Old Josh Abe As Rivals Circle

Liverpool are bracing for a fight to retain one of their brightest academy jewels, 15-year-old winger Josh Abe, after the teenager stalled on signing a scholarship deal that would tie him to Kirkby beyond this summer. With a June 1 deadline looming, Premier League suitors are free to open formal talks with the Warrington-born forward if no agreement is reached, sources have told The Athletic.

Abe, a left-footed right winger who has been on Liverpool’s books since the age of four, has accelerated through the club’s age groups and was recently invited to train with Arne Slot’s senior squad. His rapid ascent continued earlier this month when he debuted for Liverpool’s Under-19s in the UEFA Youth League against MSK Zilina, and last Saturday he announced himself to a wider audience with a hat-trick for the Under-18s in a 6-1 rout of Leeds United.

England have also recognised his promise: this week Abe is captaining the Under-16s at a four-nations tournament in Turkey, lining up alongside Liverpool teammates Vincent Joseph and Shadrach Ekiugbo against Denmark, Spain and France.

Yet while his on-field trajectory points skyward, contract negotiations remain at an impasse. Scholars at Liverpool earn roughly £1,200 a week, but the sticking point is understood to be the structure of Abe’s first professional terms once he turns 17 in July 2027. The club typically caps first-year professionals at about £52,000 a year plus performance bonuses, although exceptions have been made for the most coveted prospects.

Rival clubs are monitoring the impasse closely. A similar contract impasse last summer allowed Liverpool to pounce for Chelsea prodigy Rio Ngumoha; a tribunal subsequently ordered Liverpool to pay Chelsea an initial £2.8 million in compensation, a fee that could escalate to £6.8 million with add-ons.

Abe is represented by PLG, an agency co-owned by Tyler Alexander-Arnold, brother of Liverpool vice-captain Trent. The senior right-back has already signalled his approval, commenting “Never in doubt” under the club’s Instagram post welcoming Abe to first-team training in January. Before Christmas the pair were spotted at the Bernabeu watching Real Madrid defeat Sevilla, after which Abe met Vinicius Junior in the dressing-room corridor.

Scouts first noticed Abe playing junior football in Warrington, 20 miles east of Liverpool, and Manchester City were beaten to his signature at Under-9 level. Since then he has amassed eight goals and three assists in ten Under-18 Premier League fixtures this season, prompting academy staff to liken his direct style and eye for goal to former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane.

“He’s got a real knack for coming inside and hitting the back of the net,” Under-18s coach Simon Wiles told Redmen TV. “He’s a real talent and it’s really exciting working with him.”

Privately, academy insiders accept that every top-flight club in the country would welcome the chance to lure Abe away. Liverpool now have six weeks to convince him that his future remains on Merseyside.