Liverpool are set to move for Sunderland striker Trey Ogunsuyi, who has already scored 14 goals at youth level this season as well as making the first-team bench.
Ogunsuyi, who debuted for Sunderland‘s U21s as a 17-year-old, has been shining across the age groups this season as he divides his time between U21s and U18s.
In 16 games in the academy the Belgian has scored 14 goals and assisted another, while he has also made the bench on three occasions in the Championship.
That has only enhanced Liverpool’s historic interest in a striker who turned 18 at the end of November, with the Mail‘s Lewis Steele reporting they will now “try to sign” Ogunsuyi.
Steele, along with north-east correspondent Craig Hope, reports that the Reds are “poised to raid Sunderland” having “kept an eye on” their young forward.
It is unclear whether they would target Ogunsuyi in January or wait until the summer, but it certainly stands to reason that they would be interested.
Unlike recent youth signings such as Trey Nyoni, Amara Nallo and Rio Ngumoha, however, any deal for Ogunsuyi would be complicated as he is tied to a professional contract at Sunderland.
That would mean a deal would need to be agreed with the Black Cats before they could discuss terms with the player himself, which is not the case with those brought in on scholarships.
However, it is certainly not out of the realms of possibility, with Liverpool looking to concentrate the talent within their academy as a direct source for the first team.
Ogunsuyi, already a Belgium U19 international, can play across the forward line but is most adept as a striker, and scored in a 3-2 defeat to Liverpool U21s back in September.
The Reds’ interest comes with a shortage of natural centre-forwards at youth level, though Jayden Danns is at the forefront and Ranel Young, Keyrol Figueroa and Josh Sonni-Lambie are all interesting options coming through.
Speaking in September, per the Northern Echo, Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris described Ogunsuyi as a “very interesting player for the future.”
“It was a great opportunity for him,” Le Bris said, having named the teenager in his first senior matchday squad for a 3-2 loss at Plymouth.
“At the minute, he is still a young player who needs to discover more about our environment and the experience of being with professional players.
“Especially for an away game, it was a very interesting opportunity for him.
“He needs time to develop, for sure. But he has many qualities and he is a very interesting player for the future.”
