Liverpool's Key Late-Window Move: Ifeanyi Ndukwe Loan to Levante
Fabrizio Romano has signed off on one of Liverpool’s most important pieces of late-window business – and it doesn’t involve a big-money signing or a marquee departure.
It’s about Ifeanyi Ndukwe.
Hughes racing the clock
The clock is winding down on two fronts at Anfield. The transfer window is entering its final stretch, and Richard Hughes is edging towards the end of his brief spell as Liverpool’s sporting decision-maker before he heads to Al Hilal once the summer work is wrapped up.
These last days will shape how his time at the club is remembered.
Liverpool are in the middle of a wider reset. Andoni Iraola has replaced Arne Slot, fresh faces have arrived, and new minority shareholders have stepped into the boardroom. The direction of travel is clear enough off the pitch.
On it, the overhaul still feels incomplete.
Depth remains an issue, especially in attack, and several players are stuck in limbo. Cody Gakpo’s future is unclear. Curtis Jones looks destined for Inter Milan. Others – labelled as deadwood inside and outside the club – such as Federico Chiesa, Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliott, hardly look like long-term pillars of the project.
Iraola needs a squad built to withstand the relentless physical and tactical demands of his football. Right now, it is fair to question whether he has the numbers or the profile to do that across a full season.
That is why these final days matter so much for Hughes. This isn’t about ticking off one or two late signings. It is about fixing structural gaps, avoiding a repeat of last summer’s missteps, and nailing contract details, including a key extension around Rio Ngumoha’s upcoming birthday.
Among all that, one problem stood out.
The Ndukwe dilemma
Ifeanyi Ndukwe turned pre-season into his own stage. The Austrian defender impressed so much that his absence for the rest of the campaign feels like a genuine loss.
The reason has nothing to do with form or fitness. He doesn’t have a work permit.
That bureaucratic hurdle forced Liverpool into a very specific search. They needed a loan that would do three things at once: develop Ndukwe with regular senior minutes, expose him to a high enough level of competition, and put him on track to secure the work permit he needs to play for the club in future seasons.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have now found that solution. An agreement is in place for Ndukwe to join Levante on loan.
On paper, it ticks every box.
Levante compete in La Liga. If Ndukwe features regularly there, even over a six-month spell, he should hit the criteria required for a work permit. The opportunity is real, not theoretical, because Levante currently have only three senior centre-backs in their squad. Ndukwe won’t be going there to make up the numbers; he is walking into a depth chart that almost demands he plays.
For Liverpool, it turns a frustrating paperwork issue into a long-term investment. For Ndukwe, it is a fast-track route from standout pre-season performer to top-flight regular.
And for Hughes, in a window full of moving parts and unresolved futures, it is one piece of business he can point to with genuine satisfaction as his time at Anfield runs out.
