A tribunal has ruled that Liverpool must pay at least £2.8 million in compensation to Chelsea following the transfer of teenage winger Rio Ngumoha.
The decision was made by the Professional Football Compensation Committee (PFCC), which assessed the value of Ngumoha’s training and development during his time at Chelsea’s academy. The base payment of £2.8m is fixed and non-negotiable, though the total amount could increase through performance-related add-ons if specific conditions are met in the future.
In addition to the initial fee, Chelsea will also be entitled to 20% of any future profit should Liverpool decide to sell Ngumoha. This detail was first reported by The Athletic.
Ngumoha left Chelsea’s academy in September 2024 to join Liverpool and signed his first professional contract with the Merseyside club a year later. Although Liverpool have not confirmed the length of that contract, the teenager has already made a significant impact at senior level.
The 17-year-old has featured 13 times across all competitions this season under head coach Arne Slot. His most memorable moment came on his Premier League debut in August, when he scored a dramatic 100th-minute winner against Newcastle United.
That goal etched Ngumoha into the club’s history books. At 16 years and 361 days old, he became Liverpool’s youngest ever goalscorer. Earlier in the campaign, he also set another record by becoming the youngest player to start a match for the club, aged just 16 years and 135 days, during a 4-0 FA Cup win over Accrington Stanley in January 2025.
An England Under-19 international, Ngumoha was widely regarded as the standout player in his age group at Chelsea. Despite attempted assurances and several significant future contract offers from the Blues, the winger opted to move north. He believed Liverpool offered a clearer and faster pathway into first-team football.
The tribunal’s ruling brings clarity to a case closely watched across English football, underlining both the growing value of elite academy prospects and the financial stakes involved when top clubs compete for emerging talent.
