Liverpool are set to miss out on signing 18-year-old wonderkid Andreas Schjelderup for a second time.
That’s according to Norwegian outlet TV2. They claim that despite the Reds offering Schjelderup a ‘specific project’ to sign from Nordsjaelland, he has chosen to join Benfica instead.
The fee is said to be around £12.3m, with the youngster ready to sign a five-and-a-half year deal in Lisbon. Representatives from Benfica will reportedly travel to Copenhagen this week to finalise the transfer.
As a result, Liverpool aren’t the only club said to be disappointed. Brentford are claimed to be another who offered Schjelderup a specific project, while Sevilla reportedly had an £8.2m bid rejected in the summer.
There’s also supposedly been interest from clubs in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, all of which are said to have ‘tried to convince’ the youngster to join them. But it’s now expected that Benfica will win the race.
Schjelderup is said to have chosen the Portuguese giants over the likes of Liverpool, as he’s ‘expected to have an important role in the team’ upon signing.
Liverpool hoping for third-time lucky?
This is a blow to Liverpool, who clearly like what they see from Schjelderup. If the player himself is to be believed, then it’s the second time in three years that he’s rejected a move to Anfield.
Back in March, the Norwegian claimed that he turned down the chance to join Liverpool in 2020. Speaking to Goal, he suggested that the Reds could only offer him a place in the academy sides at that time.
As he was aged just sixteen, this was understandable. But Schjelderup wanted to play first-team football and opted to make the move to Denmark instead.
In hindsight, it has been a good move for him. After slowly settling into the senior picture, the forward has been a revelation for Nordsjaelland this season. With 10 goals in 17 games, he’s currently the Superligaen’s top goal scorer.
It’ll be fascinating to see whether he can keep that form whilst navigating a step up to the Portuguese league.
With their eyes usually firmly planted on goings-on in Portugal, you can bet that Liverpool will be watching on. Impress in the Estadio da Luz, and Schjelderup may well find himself offered the chance to move to Merseyside for a third time. Pass that up though, and there surely won’t be a fourth.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
