Liverpool close in on signing of Abdallah Aberkane

Liverpool are closing in on securing the transfer of Holland Under 16 international Abdallah Aberkane.

Negotiations are underway for the 15-year-old defender who is on the books of Eredivisie outfit ADO Den Haag.

Aberkane can play as a centre-back or as a full-back and Liverpool hope to have a deal secured ahead of next season after scouting him for some time.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are to open a new international football academy in New South Wales, Australia.

Primarily based at Southern Cross University (SCU) in Lismore, the Reds will be looking to attract talent between the ages of 5 and 17.

Club Ambassador Ian Rush commented: “We have a huge number of fans in Australia, so setting-up a fulltime coaching program in the country is a great opportunity for those youngsters to learn to play the Liverpool way through this partnership.

“The enthusiasm and passion for LFC in the country is amazing, so I’m sure this initiative will be a huge success.

“On all the LFC International Academy projects around the world we aim to develop players both on and off the pitch and this will be no different.”