Liverpool Secures Talented Teenager Dara Jikiemi from Celtic
Liverpool have landed one of Britain’s most coveted teenagers, with Scotland Under-16 captain Dara Jikiemi turning his back on Celtic to join the Anfield academy in a move the club believe could define a generation.
The 16-year-old has agreed terms and will arrive on Merseyside this summer on a scholarship deal, before signing his first professional contract when he turns 17 in January. Behind that, Liverpool have already put the next step in place: an agreement for a long-term professional contract when he turns 18 in January 2028. That is not routine paperwork. It is a statement.
A coup ripped from Celtic’s grasp
Celtic fought to keep him. Jikiemi has been one of the standout talents in their academy, a player many inside the Scottish system have quietly tipped as a “generational” prospect. He had offers to stay, a clear route to their first team, and the comfort of a club that already knew him.
He walked away.
Liverpool’s pitch was stronger: a mapped-out pathway, a club that has made a habit of turning bold teenage bets into first‑team weapons, and an academy operation that now sits among Europe’s most aggressive recruiters. For Jikiemi, the calculation was simple – his long-term development, he believes, is best served in red.
Inside Liverpool, the excitement is real. Staff at Kirkby are convinced they have not just picked up a good youth player, but a potential first-team footballer in waiting. They talk about his leadership as much as his technique. A captain at international youth level, comfortable taking responsibility, comfortable taking the ball.
Following a familiar trail to Anfield
Jikiemi is not the first to swap Celtic green for Liverpool red. Ben Doak made the same journey as a teenager and has already forced his way into the senior picture. That precedent matters. It shows there is a bridge from the academy to the Premier League stage, and that Liverpool will back young players if they are good enough and brave enough.
The club have been relentless in their search for elite youth across Britain and Ireland. Within that wider recruitment cycle, sources describe Jikiemi as one of the standout captures, a player ringed early and pursued hard. The scholarship agreement and the pre-arranged long-term deal underline just how firmly Liverpool are betting on his future.
For now, his world will be Kirkby pitches, gym sessions, and the grind of academy football. The message from inside the club, though, is clear: they believe he has the tools to challenge for senior minutes if his development tracks as expected.
Building tomorrow’s Liverpool, today
Liverpool’s move for Jikiemi fits a broader strategy. While the club chases players for the here and now, the recruitment team is assembling what they hope will become an “incredible pool” of young talent capable of pushing into the first team over the next few years.
Alongside Jikiemi, the Reds hold a developing and serious interest in Mexico starlet Gilberto Mora, one of the breakout youngsters of the World Cup, as they weigh up whether to enter a multi-club chase that is already scaring off long-term admirers Manchester United. Ayyoud Bouaddi is also on their radar, though Lille’s growing valuation threatens to turn that pursuit into an expensive auction.
This is Liverpool’s new dual track: sign proven quality, but never stop stacking the academy with players who might one day save the club tens of millions in the market.
In that context, Jikiemi is more than a promising teenager leaving Celtic. He is a marker. A captain of his country’s Under-16s, regarded as one of the brightest prospects in Britain, committing his peak years in advance to a club that believes he can eventually walk out at Anfield as one of their own.
If Liverpool are right, this quiet summer deal could echo loudest in the years to come.
