Ryan Gravenberch is set to arrive on Merseyside this morning to put the finishing touches to his move from Bayern Munich to Liverpool.
The two clubs agreed a deal worth up to €45 million for the Dutchman on Thursday after a breakthrough in discussions.
The Reds had hoped to fly Gravenberch over to England last night in order the complete the formalities of the transfer, including a medical and putting pen to paper on a five-year contract.
However, This Is Anfield understands that proved not to be possible, with the 21-year-old instead forced to wait until Friday morning to travel.
It now remains to be seen if the relevant paperwork can be completed in time for Gravenberch to make his debut against Aston Villa at Anfield on Sunday.
He would need to be registered with the Premier League by 12pm today – the final working day before the weekend’s fixtures – in order to have a chance of facing the Villans.
Should Gravenberch miss out, then his a potential bow would be delayed until Liverpool’s trip to Wolves on September 16, after the international break.
The former Ajax midfielder will have time to acclimatise to his new surroundings during that break in domestic action after being omitted from the Netherlands’ squad for World Cup qualifiers against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.
His last call-up came in March and followed on from him missing out on the Dutch selection for the World Cup in Qatar.
He was, however, part of the Netherlands squad at the U21 Euros over the summer, starting all three games as his country bowed out at the group stage.
Fan Comments