Liverpool have been ordered to pay Chelsea £2.8m in compensation after the Professional Football Compensation Commission (PFCC) tribunal handed down its ruling.
Rio Ngmoha leaves Chelsea’s youth organization to join Liverpool (Image: Ed Sykes/Getty Images)
Liverpool have been ordered to pay Chelsea £2.8m after a court returned its verdict on the signing of Rio Ngmoja. The Blues will be entitled to compensation as the 17-year-old forward joined Liverpool in September 2024 after leaving Chelsea’s academy.
When Ngmoha left for Liverpool, Chelsea were reportedly furious as the club knew he had a special talent and had made several contract offers to keep him. His decision to ignore their offer and head to Merseyside caused a souring of relations between the two Premier League giants.
Following Ngmoha’s departure, Chelsea have reportedly stopped allowing Liverpool youth scouts to attend matches at their academy. He joined the Reds at the age of 16 after a controversial move that ended up in court at the Professional Football Compensation Commission (PFCC).
This tribunal was necessary to determine the amount Chelsea owed to support Ngmoha’s development. The Athletic reports that both clubs have been informed of the non-negotiable ruling.
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Liverpool will have to pay an initial fee of £2.8m to their rivals, but the price could rise significantly given other factors. The total could reach £6.8m if he achieves certain milestones related to senior appearances, signings and international recognition. Chelsea will also be obligated to pay 20% of the profits if Ngmoha is sold to another club.
Ngmoha has already starred for England’s youth teams and is currently playing for the Under-19s, making eight appearances and scoring one goal.
Ngmoha has made 14 appearances for Arne Slott’s Liverpool first team since making his debut in January 2025, making him the club’s youngest ever player in the FA Cup. He scored the memorable winning goal after coming on as a substitute in the 3-2 win over Newcastle in August, and was a regular in the Premier League throughout the season.
Rio Ngmoha has made 14 appearances for Liverpool so far (Image: George Wood, Getty Images)
“I think he’s had the most minutes of any 17-year-old in the Premier League, so you can see how much playing time he’s getting and how special that is already for a 17-year-old,” Slott said when asked about Ngumoha in December. “It also says something about his quality, because it’s completely unusual for him to have as much playing time as he does already at 17 years old.
“But it also says something about the availability in those areas. I would say that position is not my biggest concern for the weekend. So hopefully Cody (Gakpo) will be back, but it’s not a sure thing, If he does, Federico (Chiesa) can play there, Florian (Wurtz) can play there, so if he’s a player in another position, he probably has more chances to come in. But it’s the same for all the other players.
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