Liverpool transfer news: Reds ‘accelerate’ move for Man Utd midfield target high on Jason Wilcox’s radar

Liverpool are reportedly set to rival Manchester United for the signature of highly-rated midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi from Nordsjaelland.

The 20-year-old Ghanaian is believed to have caught the attention of a number of European clubs since joining Nordsjaelland in 2024 from Ghana’s famous Right to Dream football academy.

Yirenkyi has made 40 first-team appearances for the Danish outfit across all competitions, chipping in with two goals and five assists in 18 Superliga outings so far this season.

Likened to Ghanian icon Michael Essien, Yirenkyi boasts a 91.7% pass completion rate this term and has shown his versatility in the centre of midfield, operating in deeper positions, out on the right or as a box-to-box midfielder.

The powerful and well-rounded youngster is under contract at Nordsjaelland until the summer of 2030, but a fee in the region of £22m (€25m) could be enough to prise him away from the Wild Tigers this summer.

A recent report claims that Man United director of football Jason Wilcox is ‘personally involved’ in the club’s attempts to sign Yirenkyi, with the Red Devils said to have already made enquiries about the Ghanaian.

Man Utd face competition from Liverpool for Yirenkyi

Man United are known to be in the market for a new centre-midfielder, with Casemiro departing at the end of the season when his contract expires, but they could face stern competition for Yirenkyi from reigning Premier League champions Liverpool.

According to Anfield Watch, the Merseyside giants attempted to sign Yirenkyi in the January transfer window, but a move ultimately failed to materialise for the youngster.

It is claimed that Liverpool intend to ‘accelerate’ their pursuit of Yirenkyi and will be following his performances ‘very closely’ in the upcoming months.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion are three more Premier League clubs interested in the midfielder, but Liverpool hope that they can win the race for his signature.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot already has four central-midfield options in Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones who have all played regularly this season, although the latter has been limited to just 10 starts and was linked with a surprise switch to Inter Milan in January.

Whether the Reds qualify for the Champions League or not, they will presumably not replicate their £450m summer spend on new players ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, so cheaper targets including Yirenkyi could feature high on their list of priorities, especially if a midfielder such as Jones were to depart.