Liverpool have secured a clause to cut short Ifeanyi Ndukwe’s stay at Levante UD in the winter market as part of the loan agreement with the La Liga side.
In January, the Premier League side reached an agreement with Austria Wien to sign the centre-back. At that time, he was 17 years of age, preventing him from joining the Reds.
Ndukwe turned 18 in March and did a pre-season under Andoni Iraola’s orders. However, he didn’t obtain a work permit to play in the UK. Therefore, Liverpool sent him on loan to Levante in August.
Liverpool made careful evaluations
The youngster’s failure to secure a work permit saw the Reds look for suitable options.
In August, Ifeanyi Ndukwe’s agent Georg Lederer explained that Liverpool sent him to a club that employs a similar playing style.
He said: “We are looking at several different parameters. First and foremost, it is about Ifeanyi getting a lot of playing time. Then Liverpool is also looking at what type of football clubs play, as they want him to play in a high-pressing defense, so it is a bit like what you see in Liverpool.”
At Levante, Ifeanyi Ndukwe was an unused substitute in the first three matches. He made his debut in the league defeat to Barcelona in September. Since then, the defender has featured in every fixture, playing 314 minutes from five matches.
Andoni Iraola makes decision about Liverpool man
Journalist Nacho Sanchis took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to report that Liverpool can unilaterally terminate the youngster’s stay in January.
The Premier League side’s officials made a trip to Spain to hold talks with Valencia about Harvey Elliott. He’s on loan at Mestalla from the Merseyside club. The same officials also visited Levante for Ifeanyi Ndukwe on Thursday.
After the meeting, the two clubs decided to let the Austria U19 international finish the season at Levante. Sanchis adds Liverpool will only recall him if they have injury problems with their defenders between now and January.
Another journalist, Eric Martín Gasulla, focuses his coverage on Levante. He also took to X to report the Anfield club have to compensate the La Liga side if Ndukwe’s loan stay is cut short.
Andoni Iraola, for his part, wants the player to finish this season in Spain. He has started to enjoy regular minutes, which won’t be available at Liverpool easily.
El #Liverpool puede cortar la cesión de Ifeanyi Ndukwe de manera unilateral en enero
Pero tras la reunión ayer con el @LevanteUD NO está sobre la mesa hacerlo. Quieren que siga sumando minutos.
Solo se dará si hay muchas lesiones en la zaga ‘red’ de aquí a enero.
— Nacho Sanchis (@sanchis14) October 23, 2026
