‘Explosive’ youngster’s family aren’t convinced Liverpool are the right club for him

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As Liverpool prepare for life after Jurgen Klopp, they may just have been dealt a blow in the transfer market.

Klopp handed Liverpool the biggest and most unexpected bad news for some time yesterday, as he announced that he’ll leave at the end of the season.

The 56-year-old’s departure will have ramifications that run through the whole club. One of which could be how it affects Liverpool in the transfer market. Klopp is a huge pull for any player considering Liverpool. Without him, the Reds may find it trickier to win crowded races to sign players.

And according to journalist Christian Falk, they might have already lost one such battle. Writing for the Daily Briefing yesterday, Falk claimed that Liverpool are unlikely to sign Schalke youngster Assan Ouedraogo. However, it should be noted that Klopp has nothing to do with this one, rather the 17-year-old’s family aren’t sure Ouedraogo is ready for the move.

“Assan Ouedraogo’s father has a key role in this transfer saga,” reports the journalist. “What I have heard is that the family is thinking a step into another league like the Premier League would be a step too much for him. He’s a very young player. The same goes for Bayern or Liverpool.

“At the moment it seems like RB Leipzig is leading the race and he wants to stay in the Bundesliga if he is going to leave Schalke. At the moment, he has a little injury, so it’s not really a transfer that’s hot for the current window, more for the future. I think he would love to stay at Schalke but it could be that he’s forced to go because of the amount of interest in him.”

Ouedraogo not ready for Liverpool

This is a shame for Liverpool. Although Ouedraogo is obviously very raw, he looks like a real talent.

Bundesliga.com labelled the midfielder as being an ‘explosive’ player and he appears set for a big future in the game. Hence Liverpool’s interest.

Perhaps at one stage we’ll see him move to the Premier League, and maybe to Liverpool. But not yet it seems.

Nevertheless, the Reds should still be keeping a close eye on Ouedraogo’s progress. Should he join Leipzig, Liverpool are likely to be especially interested. The two clubs have done business a handful of times since 2017.

Of course, things in that respect could be about to change massively for Liverpool, though. With a new sporting director set to join in the coming months, who knows what their transfer policy will be moving forwards.

Whatever it is, keeping an eye on promising young players from across Europe should still be a part of it. And Ouedraogo falls into that category.

Having broken into the Schalke team at the start of the season, the Germany U17 international is a prodigious talent.

Unfortunately, injury has meant that Ouedraogo has not played since October, robbing us of seeing his potential being fulfilled even further. Once he returns, expect him to show why Liverpool wanted him in the first place. Patience required on this one.