Why Liverpool should beat Chelsea to the signature of Leon King

According to claims from The Athletic, as relayed by the Daily Record, Liverpool and Chelsea are set to go head-to-head in a transfer tug-of-war over Rangers academy prospect Leon King.

The 15-year-old central defender has already played for Graeme Murty’s U20 side and was named on the bench for the UEFA Youth League clash against Slovan Bratislava.

The same report adds that Leon King was scouted by the Premier League duo at close quarters during last month’s development loss to Carlisle United while German Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig are also monitoring the development of the teenager.

Leon King has been turning heads with his rapid development at Rangers (Getty Images)

King is yet to make his senior professional bow for the Gers but his consistently impressive displays across various age-group levels have caught the eye.

Rangers boast of some fine up and coming players in their youth system, with the Gers constantly scouring the continent to pluck out burgeoning young talent in a bid to supplement their development sides.

Leon King is too young just yet to put pen to paper on professional terms, meaning that the Gers could find themselves powerless to prevent him from leaving the club in the coming months.

To put things into perspective, Leon King is still in the rudimentary stage of his development but he looks like a real talent and Liverpool would bag a real coup if they manage to beat off competition from Chelsea in the race to sign the coveted teenage prospect.

Image result for leon king rangers" — The 15-year-old has already played for Rangers’ U-20 side under Graeme Murty (Getty Images)

That the 15-year-old is already rubbing shoulders at the U20 level is indicative of a level of maturity that belies his tender years as a footballer and a senior professional debut in the near future shouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility if he continues his development in the right direction.

With King starting to make his mark at the U20 level, there are obvious signs that the 15-year-old could be fast-tracked into Steven Gerrard’s first-team setup, much like former academy product Billy Gilmour.

Highly sought-after teenagers Harvey Elliot and Sepp van den Berg came through the door at Anfield in the summer as a part of Liverpool’s youth recruitment drive and Leon King could be yet another fantastic addition to the existing pool of young talents at the club.

Verdict

Academy prospects like Curtis Jones, Rhian Brewster, Herbie Kane, Neco Williams and Caoimhim Kelleher have all been handed professional debuts by Jurgen Klopp in the EFL Cup this season.

King, though still very young, could get his chance to impress in the years to come if a move to Merseyside does materialize.

Image result for jurgen klopp" — Jurgen Klopp has handed professional debuts to several academy prospects at Liverpool this term (Getty Images)

Looking at things from the player’s perspective, staying put at Rangers could provide him with a quicker and direct pathway to first-team football. While moving south of the border at this stage might be a big challenge, the lure of playing in the Premier League is likely to appeal to the 15-year-old.

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All in all, Liverpool beating off competition for Rangers starlet Leon King could pay off handsomely in the years to follow.