Fulham Beaten To Wycombe Wonder Boy Jordan Ibe

[White Noise]

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2011/12/16/2804009/liverpool-beat-manchester-united-and-fulham-to-1m-signing-of



Liverpool beat Manchester United and Fulham to £1m signing of Wycombe Wanderers wonderkid Jordan Ibe


The Reds will welcome the League One club's prodigious attacker to Merseyside next summer after he completes his final year at secondary school, with deal "95 per cent done"


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EXCLUSIVE


By Wayne Veysey | Chief correspondent

Liverpool have reached an agreement with Wycombe Wanderers to sign teen sensation Jordan Ibe after out-bidding Manchester United and Fulham, Goal.com can disclose.

Liverpool's offer of an initial down payment of £750,000, with the final fee rising to £1 million, has been accepted by the League One club.

Sources have told Goal.com that the deal is "95 per cent done" and will be confirmed by the two clubs shortly.

United and Fulham also made recent bids of around £500,000 for the forward, who turned 16 last week and is rated by coaching experts as the outstanding talent in his age group in the country outside of Derby County prodigy Mason Bennett.

However, the two Premier League clubs have now been told they were trumped by Liverpool and that the teenager will finish his final year of secondary school in south London before moving to Merseyside next summer.

As revealed by Goal.com in October, Ibe had trials at Liverpool and Manchester City earlier this year, when he impressed the coaching staffs of both clubs, but it is understood that the player was concerned about uprooting to the north west of England from his home in Southwark as well as the diminished prospect of first-team football.

Chelsea also tried to prise Ibe from Wycombe and made a concerted attempt to sign him last year but the player rebuffed their interest, as he did with all the attention from his Premier League suitors up until now.

However, Michael Carnegie, who works for the Wycombe academy, has been a key figure in persuading Ibe, his family and mentor Richard Dobson, the Wycombe assistant manager who doubles as the club's head of youth, to accept the opportunity of a move to a glamorous Premier League outfit.

It comes only weeks after Liverpool beat their rivals to the signing of another teenage prodigy, 14-year-old Seyi Ojo from MK Dons.

          Schoolboy star | Ibe's move from Wycombe to Liverpool is "95 per cent done"

Ibe made headlines when he became Wycombe's youngest debutant since the club entered the Football League, making his first-team bow in a League Cup clash against Colchester in August aged 15 years and 244 days.
He has played 11 matches in total for Wycombe this season and became the club's youngest-ever goalscorer when he was on target on his full debut in late October.

Ibe has built his reputation as a pacy, goalscoring wide attacker but he is expected to eventually mature into an attacking midfielder in the style of Frank Lampard. The 16-year-old has been described by Wycombe manager Gary Waddock as "unbelievable" and a "wonderful talent".

The League One club decided to cash in on the youngster before the new Elite Player Performance Plan comes into effect next season, which will replace the current tribunal system with fixed tariffs for the transfer of homegrown youngsters and will put an end to million pound-plus deals for teenagers.

[AlFayedsChequebook]

Hope he enjoys his time in the reserves!

[MJG]

Hope he enjoys his time in the reserves!

Like our youngsters do as well. :hook: