Liverpool agree deal to sign Saint-Étienne forward Djylian N’Guessan

Liverpool have reached an agreement to sign Saint-Étienne forward Djylian N’Guessan, with the 18-year-old set to officially complete a permanent move to Anfield in January. The Premier League club confirmed the deal on Friday, adding that N’Guessan will spend the remainder of the 2026/27 season on loan at Ligue 1 side Brest. No transfer fee has been disclosed. The announcement provides clarity over the next stage of N’Guessan’s career after Saint-Étienne confirmed on Thursday that the France youth international had extended his contract with the club until 2028 before joining Brest on loan without an option to buy. Liverpool have now confirmed that the permanent transfer will take effect in January, while the forward will continue his development with Brest for the rest of the campaign rather than immediately joining the Reds’ first-team set-up. N’Guessan came through Saint-Étienne’s academy and made his senior debut in January 2025. He has since registered 13 first-team appearances for the French club, scoring once. His reputation has also grown at international youth level. N’Guessan represented France seven times during their run to fourth place at the 2025 Under-20 World Cup and had previously scored four goals at the Under-17 European Championship, where he was selected in the tournament’s best XI. Liverpool’s agreement adds another highly rated young forward to their longer-term recruitment plans, but his immediate focus will remain in France. The structure of the deal means N’Guessan will formally become a Liverpool player in January before continuing his loan spell at Brest through the remainder of the season. Liverpool have not announced when they expect him to begin working with their squad after the loan concludes, and no further financial details of the agreement with Saint-Étienne have been made public.