Reds muscle in: Liverpool bid for Sheffield Wednesday starlet Yisa Alao as United circle

Liverpool aren’t waiting around. Arne Slot’s lot have stepped in with a bid for Sheffield Wednesday’s highly rated teen defender Yisa Alao, looking to nip ahead of Manchester United after their £450,000 offer last month. It’s a proper tug-of-war for a 17-year-old who’s already tasted senior football, and it speaks volumes about where both giants see the future being won—on the recruitment front.

Reds strike as United hover

Alao made his senior bow for the Owls in the Carabao Cup earlier this season and has since had Championship minutes, enough to put him firmly on the radar of the country’s elite. United moved first with a December bid, but Liverpool have now matched intent with a proposal of their own. As things stand, there’s no public word on either offer being accepted or knocked back.

Why the move makes sense for Liverpool

Even with summer arrival Milos Kerkez boosting the left side, the picture isn’t settled. Kostas Tsimikas departed on loan to Roma and Andrew Robertson’s deal runs down in the summer, so Liverpool are clearly planning for what comes next. Alao wouldn’t be thrown straight into the Anfield spotlight, but the pathway is there—academy, cup minutes, and then the step up if he proves he’s got the temperament as well as the talent.

Slot’s overhaul: winning now, building next

This push fits the broader brief under Slot. Liverpool had a record-shattering summer, breaking the British transfer record twice to land Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, while also sealing Jeremie Frimpong, Kerkez and Giovanni Leoni. That’s immediate firepower, sure, but the long view matters too. With pillars like Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Robertson and Alisson on the far side of 30, the club are sensibly layering the next wave so there’s no cliff edge when the old guard eventually hand over the keys.

State of play: a derby off the pitch

Make no mistake, this is a statement tussle as much as a scouting win. Choose Liverpool and Alao is buying into a structure famed for turning prospects into pros; pick United and he’s banking on game time within a rebuilding squad. Either way, the decision will come down to pathway, coaching and patience—three things that matter more than the headline numbers at this stage of a career.

Thinking of where the next starlet might end up? Have a look at our best betting sites for the latest guides and insight before you have a flutter.

One to watch: Joel Ordonez talks heating up

Separate to Alao, Liverpool are also understood to be closing in on Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez, with negotiations said to be intensifying. It underlines the theme: succession planning, squad depth, and a front-foot approach to the market that keeps the Reds competitive today and tomorrow.