Liverpool Miss Out on Matías Orozco as Brighton Secures Transfer
Liverpool’s transfer window is creaking towards its close and the to‑do list still looks far too long.
This was supposed to be a summer of five or six signings. Right now, they look stretched just to adequately replace Mohamed Salah, let alone reshape the rest of the squad. Key players continue to be linked with moves away, Stefan Bajcetic among those who could yet be shown the door. Cody Gakpo’s name has also been floated, but unless Richard Hughes delivers at least a couple of forwards, there is no realistic scenario in which the Dutchman is allowed to leave.
Time is running, fast. With less than a week left in the window, it feels like now or never for several deals.
Brighton beat Liverpool to Orozco
Amid all that first-team uncertainty, Liverpool have quietly tried to keep one eye on the future. The club have invested heavily in youth over the past few years, prising Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha from other academies and already nudging them towards first-team opportunities.
The academy remains a point of pride at Anfield, long regarded as one of the best environments in Europe for youngsters to make the jump to senior football. That pathway stalled somewhat late in Arne Slot’s tenure, but with Andoni Iraola now in charge, there is an expectation that the conveyor belt will start moving again.
Not every plan survives contact with the market.
One of the standout talents on Liverpool’s radar, Colombian midfielder Matías Orozco, is heading elsewhere. Journalist Pipe Sierra reported on X: “Matías Orozco (18) will be a new player for #Brighton. The deal closes for 4.8M$ + bonuses for 85% with Cali. The Colombian will travel tonight to Europe with his agent Leonardo Daza to complete the visa process, medical exams, and contract signing.”
Liverpool had tracked Orozco for some time, with talks ongoing and the Reds, for much of the summer, appearing to be the only serious contenders for his signature. Brighton have stepped in late and sealed it.
For a club trying to refresh both ends of the age spectrum, it stings.
Academy rebuild hits a snag
Last season underlined how much emphasis Liverpool are placing on the academy pipeline. Mor Talla Ndiaye, Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Samuel Martinez all arrived to strengthen the youth ranks and deepen the talent pool.
Of that trio, Ndukwe has made the most noise internally. Liverpool are understood to be frustrated that he did not accumulate enough points to secure a UK work permit. The consequence was immediate: a loan move to Levante, designed to give him senior minutes and, crucially, the chance to build the case needed to return to Anfield in January.
Orozco was expected to be the next piece in that strategy, a highly rated 18-year-old midfielder to slot into the system and grow under the club’s guidance. Instead, Brighton have won the race, and Liverpool are back to scanning the market for someone of similar calibre to fill that gap in their youth structure.
The clock is ticking on the senior rebuild. Now the academy plans need a rewrite too.
