‘It came down to’ - Liverpool could have signed youngster wanted by Real Madrid and Manchester City years ago

Brighton forward Evan Ferguson has confirmed why a move to Liverpool broke down when he was a youth player.

The 18-year-old has been nothing short of incredible since making his senior debut for Brighton, earning his first start against Forest Green in the EFL Cup in August 2022, a game in which he scored and assisted - a sign of things to come.

He went on to make 19 Premier League apperances that season in what was a breakout campaign scoring on 10 occasions during his first season with the first-team squad.

Since then, he’s only added to his glowing reputation. He netted a brilliant hat-trick against Newcastle before the international break in a 3-1 win at the Amex Stadium - and he also netted against Luton on the opening weekend.

However, he has opened up on whether any other clubs were close to signing him as a youth player - and he told the Athletic of the Reds’ interest: “I went to Liverpool a few times. It’s a good club, but you see so many boys at Liverpool just fading away and there’s no chance to get in the first team.

“I was thinking, ‘Do I just want to play two years of under-18s and then go to the 23s and go from there to where?’

“Brighton is a good club. The people working around are always there to help.”

“It came down to the fact that if you come to Brighton it’s a pathway through. If you go to a team such as Liverpool then they can buy a striker for £70m.

“At Brighton, they like to bring their academy players through and give them a chance. I’d say that was the reason, looking long term rather than short term. So I’d say that this was the final reason.”

After his breakout season, he’s reportedly had interest from some of Europe’s elite clubs, including Manchester City and Real Madrid with inews says City and other Champions League contending clubs have put the youngster on their radars.