Atrás
Liverpool’s bid to tie young winger Rio Ngumoha down to a new contract may be complicated by ongoing interest from Bayern Munich, a report has revealed.
The 18-year-old, lured away from Chelsea in 2024, enjoyed a breakout season last year and has continued to see minutes under new manager Andoni Iraola, even if the summer acquisitions of Bradley Barcola and Víctor Muñoz have added further competition for minutes.
It emerged last month that Bayern were looking to land Ngumoha’s signature this past summer. Reports claimed the Bundesliga giants were prepared to pay around £60 million ($80 million) before being bluntly told he was not for sale.
Since then, Ngumoha has confirmed his agent is discussing a new contract with Liverpool, but Christian Falk claims the winger’s representatives are also in talks with Bayern at the same time.
It is suggested that Ngumoha could re-emerge as a transfer target for Bayern at the end of the season, with the German side, who also wanted Barcola before his switch to Anfield, still adamant he would make an excellent addition to the team.
Ngumoha has plenty of tough debates to consider when it comes to his next move.
With his contract expiring in the summer of 2028, he is in a strong negotiating position. Ngumoha seems happy at Liverpool and is clearly open to the idea of an extension, although he will have to decide whether he is happy competing with Barcola, Muñoz and Cody Gakpo for minutes.
Competition would also be fierce at Bayern, where Luis Díaz has enjoyed huge success since his own departure from Liverpool—31 goals and 24 assists in 62 games—but, as he nears his 30th birthday, Bayern have made it clear they are also on the hunt for a long-term successor. The summer pursuits of both Barcola and Ngumoha prove it.
Bayern have a good history when it comes to trusting young players. Jamal Musiala became the team’s youngest player in Bundesliga history when he debuted in June 2020 at the age of 17, while 18-year-old Lennart Karl already has 11 goals and 10 assists in 53 appearances for the club.
Ngumoha may well sense a stronger guarantee of first-team starts with Bayern than at Liverpool, although he is hardly stuck on the fringes of Iraola’s side. His total of 628 minutes across 13 appearances is actually more than Karl has managed (517) in the same number of games at Bayern this year.
Both sides can make strong pleas to Ngumoha, who must now decide whether to back himself at Liverpool or pursue a big-money exit to Bayern. If he does hit the market, expect more suitors to emerge, too.