New wonderkid inbound at Liverpool: Kroupi 2.0 is close to signing

How to determine Liverpool‘s readiness for the 2026/27 season? There’s plenty of cause to be optimistic, but Andoni Iraola‘s side are short on numbers across a range of positions.

Namely, Mohamed Salah still hasn’t been replaced. The legendary Egyptian left at the end of last season after an acrimonious fallout with Arne Slot, ultimately sacked.

Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha and new signing Victor Munoz can play down the right, but this is patently not enough for a Reds side eager to pursue titles in the Premier League and Champions League.

Liverpool will not be ready when they meet Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon. But that does not mean they can’t defeat the Magpies, setting themselves up for a strong start to the season before strengthening with a few final transfer-market flourishes.

But Iraola does have options at his disposal – with a number of rising stars all in line to develop into superstars, something Iraola showed he is skilled at doing while at Bournemouth.

How Iraola’s track record with young talent can benefit Liverpool

Liverpool’s pre-season proved something of a mixed bag, but there’s no question that Trey Nyoni emerged as the biggest winner over the pond.

Journalist Bence Bocsak hailed him as “the standout player”, very much “ready to step up this season”. With Curtis Jones edging ever closer to the exit, Inter Milan lurking, it looks like the 19-year-old will slot into the space vacated by Liverpool’s eldest Scouser.

FSG will be excited, not least because of Iraola’s past experience in guiding Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott to the fore. Nyoni could follow suit here.

Much has been made of Liverpool’s deficiencies in attack, but Rio Ngumoha could also go from strength to strength within Iraola’s system.

The 17-year-old winger is expected to play across both wings to thicken Liverpool’s frontline. He will be hoping to emulate the likes of Antoine Semenyo and Eli Junior Kroupi, the latter arriving in the Premier League as a teenager last year and scoring 13 goals across 20 starts for the Cherries.

Kroupi has been on Liverpool’s radar this summer as sporting director looks to strengthen the Merseyside outfit. He’s injured, and going nowhere.

However, Liverpool still need to replace Salah, and a move is being made to provide Kroupi with his next version of Kroupi.

How Liverpool could sign Iraola’s next version of Kroupi

Liverpool cannot possibly sink deeper than they did under Slot last season, but Iraola will know that he has a lot to prove – as do his Reds squad.

Bradley Barcola remains Liverpool’s top target across the rest of the summer but set to fetch an astronomical fee, they have sought alternatives.

REUTERS/Vincent Carchietta

For now, due to a length injury, their plans no longer include Kroupi but they could well sign their own version in the form of Paris Saint-Germain prospect Ibrahim Mbaye.

Reports from France suggest that Liverpool have reached an agreement on personal terms over a five-year contract with the 18-year-old. He is keen to move to Anfield ASAP and is ready to dismiss interest from Bayer Leverkusen in Germany to do so.

Mbaye is a world-beating prospect, already comparatively experienced within PSG’s illustrious set-up. He has won back-to-back Ligue 1 titles and a sweep of domestic honours.

Mbaye is young and, while settled into PSG’s title-winning team, remains a work in progress. He will continue to be an emerging prospect for a bit of time.

A versatile attacker with a penchant for a goal – Mbaye scored three times across only ten starts in Ligue 1 last year – the French born Senegal international has clearly won Iraola over, and he knows a thing or two about an exciting young attacker hailing from France.

After all, Bournemouth signed Kroupi from Lorient only one year ago, and the 20-year-old enjoyed barnstorming successes across the campaign. No teenager has ever scored more in their debut Premier League than him. Arsenal and Tottenham had been among the interested parties before a summer injury setback, and Kroupi has been valued at a whopping £100m.

Mbaye is very much cut from a similar cloth. Raw but exciting, he ranked among the best 4% of wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive carries per 90 minutes last season and among the top 3% of wide players for expected threat in the final third of the pitch.

Iraola has shown that he can develop such players, and after Kroupi’s rip-roaring success at the Vitality Stadium last year, Mbaye could be next in line – this time, for a Liverpool side ravenous for titles.