Manchester United Sign Liverpool Teenager Isaac Konde
Manchester United have moved to prise one of Liverpool’s brightest teenagers out of Merseyside, striking an agreement to sign 16-year-old midfielder Isaac Konde.
Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano reports that United have reached a deal with Liverpool for the youngster, with the formalities wrapped up in the last 24 hours and a move to Old Trafford now set. Konde has featured six times for Liverpool in the Under-18 Premier League this season, registering one assist and catching the eye with his progress through the Reds’ youth ranks.
It is a bold raid. A teenager leaving Liverpool for Manchester United is rare enough; doing so at a time when both clubs are aggressively rebuilding their academies underlines how highly United rate the midfielder.
United reshape their youth ranks
Konde’s arrival drops into the middle of a significant overhaul in United’s academy structure, with the club both recruiting and trimming at youth level.
Premier League champions Arsenal have already taken advantage, snapping up Habeeb Ogunneye and James Scanlon on permanent deals during the summer window. Both departures were seen as notable losses, given their standing in the youth set-up.
United have also waved goodbye to promising striker Louie Bradbury. The 17-year-old has joined Stoke City on a permanent transfer, signing a two-year contract with an option for a further year through the 2028/29 campaign.
The club marked his exit with a detailed statement, underlining how much time they had invested in the Shrewsbury-born forward. Bradbury joined United at Under-14 level and secured his scholarship in 2025. He made five appearances for the Under-18s in the 2024/25 season, including a late substitute outing in the FA Youth Cup fourth round for Adam Lawrence’s side. Last term he hit eight goals in the Under-18 Premier League and also featured at Premier League 2 level.
United closed their message with a familiar line for academy graduates moving on: everyone at the club wished Bradbury well for the next stage of his career.
Missed target, statement signing
Not every pursuit has paid off. United pushed to sign highly rated Leicester City youngster Louis Page but ran out of time, with the two clubs unable to find an agreement before the deadline. Page remains with the League One side, and United are left to park that particular chase.
So the focus, for now, lands on Konde. A 16-year-old with six Under-18 Premier League outings and one assist is not a headline senior signing, but inside the academy corridors it matters. United have lost talent, swung and missed on another, and still come away with a prospect plucked directly from a rival’s youth system.
For a club determined to rebuild its pathway from academy to first team, taking a Liverpool prospect and dropping him into Carrington feels like more than just another youth deal.
