Liverpool and Man Utd 'poised for transfer battle' over teenage wonderkid

Yisa Alao has emerged as a player of interest to several top Premier League clubs, with Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea all said to be keen on the teenager

Sheffield Wednesday teenager Yisa Alao is a player in demand(Image: 2026 Getty Images)

Liverpool and Manchester United could go head to head to land a highly-rated teenager who currently plays for Sheffield Wednesday.

Seventeen-year-old Yisa Alao has emerged as a player of interest to England's two biggest clubs, and Football Insider reports that both Liverpool and United are ramping up their interest in a bid to convince Wednesday to sell him this month.

Alao, who only turned 17 in November, has made four appearances for Wednesday this season and made his full debut in last weekend's FA Cup clash Brentford. Wednesday's chances of keeping hold of Alao are slim, as the cash-strapped club is facing certain relegation to League One at the end of the campaign.

Considering his age, Alao would clearly be a signing for the future for whichever club snaps up the left-back.

The Star reported this week that Chelsea is also keen on Alao, with the Stamford Bridge club said to have lodged a 'mid-level six-figure bid' for the player.

Alao has been offered his first professional contract by Wednesday, but the South Yorkshire club's ongoing issues have understandably lead to the player assessing his options before making a decision on his future.

In more pressing transfer news which affects the Liverpool senior team, the Reds are on the verge of missing out on signing Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi.

Guehi is a defender in demand at the moment, with a number of top clubs in England and abroad admiring the England international.

Marc Guehi is set to join Manchester City(Image: Sebastian Frej/Getty Images)

Bayern Munich and Real Madrid were among the clubs in Europe to have been linked with the Guehi, but most of the interested parties were expected to wait until the end of the season to try and convince Guehi that theirs was the right club to join.

However, Manchester City's need for a new center-back intensified earlier this month when Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias sustained significant injuries during a draw with Chelsea.

On Friday, it emerged that City had agreed a £20 million ($27 million) fee with Palace for Guehi, who was on the verge of joining Liverpool just four months ago.

Palace agreed to sell Guehi to Liverpool on transfer deadline day last summer, only to U-turn on that decision over concerns that Guehi's departure would leave the squad short defensively.

Guehi's move to City comes after the Blues also snared Antoine Semenyo – another player admired by Liverpool – from Bournemouth earlier this month.