Liverpool are expected to reward one of their most exciting young talents with a new long-term contract and bumper pay rise at Anfield.
One of the few positives from the 2025/26 season was the emergence of Rio Ngumoha as a genuine first-team star for the Reds, with the 17-year-old going from Premier League debutant to England international in just over nine months.
The teenage winger routinely got fans off their seats in L4 with his habital charging at opposition defenders who were often left bamboozled by his dizzying dribbling ability, and he’s in line to be rewarded for those superb displays with a demonstrable show of faith from his employers.
Ngumoha set to sign new long-term contract
On Tuesday, Paul Joyce reported for The Times that Ngumoha is expected to sign a new five-year contract at Liverpool once he turns 18 later this month (29 August).
Minors are only permitted to sign for a maximum three years, with the winger’s current deal (agreed last autumn) running to 2028, but he’s set to extend his commitment to the Reds to 2031 once he offically becomes an adult.
As part of his proposed new contract, the teenager is also expected to receive a significant wage increase to reflect his status as a first-team regular – Capology cites his current salary at £25,000 per week, which is among the lowest in Andoni Iraola’s squad.
Joyce also mentioned in his report that Ngumoha has been challenged by his new head coach to prove himself as a viable option on the right flank as well as his more familiar left-sided role.
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New contract for Ngumoha is a no-brainer for Liverpool
The Liverpool hierarchy are frequently tasked with making exceptionally difficult decisions, but rewarding our number 73 with a new long-term contract and a bumper pay rise is one of the easiest calls for Richard Hughes and co to make.
Ngumoha has been a revelation over the past year, being hailed by Oli Gent of The Standard as a ‘livewire’ of a winger who’s ‘full of confidence’, and anyone who witnessed him in action last season would fully agree with that assessment of the teenager.
The 2026/27 campaign is likely to present a greater challenge for the youngster, with the element of surprise having disappeared and greater expectations on his shoulders to build upon the very high bar that he’s set in recent months.
However, one trait that the 17-year-old seems to have in spades is self-confidence, so he’ll no doubt back himself to reach even higher standards this season, and he’s openly declared a willingness to play on the right flank as well as the left.
Having begun the summer as a ‘concrete’ transfer target for Bayern Munich, Ngumoha now looks set to nail his colours to the Liverpool mast for the long-term, which on current evidence will come as a major win for the Anfield hierarchy.