Liverpool rejected by Norwegian wonderkid again as he opts for Benfica transfer

Liverpool look set to be disappointed by Andreas Schjelderup for a second time as the teenager nears a move to Benfica.

The 18-year-old winger is thought to be on the verge of a £12.5m switch to the Portuguese side having scored ten goals in 17 games for Nordsjaelland this season.

Schjelderup opted for the Danish side in the summer of 2020 as a 16-year-old when he had the choice of some of Europe's top academies, including Liverpool's.

“I visited Ajax four times, PSV four times, Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, Fulham, Atalanta and Bayern Munich,” Schjelderup explained.

“They [Nordsjaelland] are a club that has shown that they give young players a chance and spend enormous resources on player development.”

The Norway U21 international also admitted at the time that he was a Liverpool fan, but has again snubbed a move to Anfield according to TV2.

Again with his development in mind, Schjelderup will join Benfica for a reported £12.5m as he believes he will more quickly become an important figure in Lisbon.

He is expected to sign a five-and-a-half-year deal with the Portuguese side.

Another forward on Liverpool's radar is Brighton star Leandro Trossard, who is thought to want out of the Amex.

Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi recently admitted that he “wants more” from Trossard.

“I want players to work for the team and the squad on the pitch. And Leandro knows very well my opinion and my idea. I spoke a lot of times with him,” De Zerbi told reporters.

“I like him as a player but I want more from him because he can play better, he can work harder, he can run more on the pitch, and I want players who give 100% always in every training session and every game. Without this characteristic or these things, they can't play with me.”

CBS journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed that Trossard's agent approached Liverpool and Man Utd over a potential move for Trossard but they “dismissed it” after he was “leaking” information.

“The first thing to say with Trossard is that he wants a move away. He has no specific preference,” Jacobs said.

“His agent has been working extremely hard to fuel interest. He went to Tottenham, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle United.

“Liverpool and Manchester United dismissed it and as I understand it they got irritated by how much was being leaked about interest in his client.”