Manchester City have completed the signing of one of Liverpool’s most highly rated academy prospects as teenage midfielder Kaylum Moss joined City after months of mounting speculation.
The move marks another deliberate step in City’s long-term strategy of investing in elite youth talent from rival Premier League academies.
Moss’ arrival is viewed internally as part of a broader effort to strengthen key age groups and maintain a steady pipeline of future first-team contenders.
Though only in his mid-teens, Moss has built a reputation as a midfielder of exceptional promise, having progressed through Liverpool’s academy ranks over a decade.
He was widely seen as one of the standout players of his age group at Kirkby. That status inevitably brought attention from some of the country’s most aggressive youth-recruitment departments, yet it was City who accelerated talks over the summer once indications emerged that the player was open to a new challenge.
Those close to Liverpool’s academy setup had anticipated the potential departure for some time. Subtle signs during the off-season — changes to squad structures, reshuffles across youth categories, and Moss’ increasing visibility on the radar of other top clubs — suggested that a formal approach from elsewhere was a matter of when rather than if.
At the same time, Manchester City were implementing changes of their own, with new academy director Thomas Krucken overseeing a multi-level strengthening of the club’s development system.
Under Krucken, City have focused not just on acquiring highly rated individuals, but on ensuring that each arrival fits within a coherent pathway model.
Kaylum Moss joined City because he falls into that framework, mirroring previous high-profile youth acquisitions that the club believes will pay off over the longer term.
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Moss made his move public through Instagram, where he posted photographs taken inside Manchester City’s training complex. In the images, he stood alongside Thomas Krucken — a visual confirmation of the club’s belief in his potential and of the level of attention they intend to give his progression.
The midfielder had been part of the Liverpool academy since early childhood, spending ten years in the system. Within that period, he rose steadily through the ranks, eventually becoming a key figure in the club’s Under-15 side.
Internally, he had been spoken of as one of the “best players of his generation within the Anfield set-up,” a status that made his decision to leave a significant moment within Liverpool’s youth programme.
His transfer, now ratified following FA clearance procedures, marks one of the most notable movements at youth level between top Premier League clubs this year.
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City’s recruitment staff are expected to place Moss on an individualised development plan designed to accelerate his growth.
The club have taken a similar approach with several recent arrivals from elite academies — tailoring training programmes, tactical exposure, and competitive minutes to prepare players for eventual integration into senior football. The process is meticulous, involving multiple performance specialists and ongoing assessment from youth-team coaches.
This model has yielded promising early results. In recent seasons, Manchester City have seen a number of academy midfielders make serious strides, including Nico O’Reilly and Divine Mukasa, both of whom have been highlighted internally as part of the next wave of potential first-team contributors.
Kaylum Moss joined City at a time when Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad contains some of the most technically gifted young midfielders in Europe — a factor that illustrates both the challenge and the opportunity ahead of him.
The club’s recruitment philosophy hinges on assembling a deep reservoir of talent and allowing natural competition and performance to determine who emerges.