Liverpool set to make first signing of winter window with defender joining from France

The Daily Mail reports that Liverpool will sign French youngster Billy Koumetio from US Orleans Loiret.

The report adds that the defender will complete the deal soon after arriving in England. Koumetio originally joined Lyon at the age of 11 before moving to Loiret, as per the report.

The 16-year-old also had a trial at Liverpool in November and seems to have impressed the management enough to secure a deal, according to the Mail.

The Reds have seen several recruitments for their youth teams under Jurgen Klopp, and the German isn’t averse to playing youngsters when the senior side don’t have options.

Ki-Jana Hoever, Rafa Camacho and Curtis Jones all got first-team action in the FA Cup loss against Wolves, and Camacho also played a few minutes in our 4-3 win over Crystal Palace.

The Reds have seen the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez develop well. The pair are first-team starters under the German manager while Marko Grujic, Harry Wilson and Ryan Kent are doing exceptionally well on loan.

Koumetio has a long way to go before he can be considered for the first-team, but it is always a good move to strengthen the youth team.

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The Reds have a history of producing quality academy products, and it will be interesting to track the development of the 16-year-old.