The transfer window may be officially closed, but teams can continue to announce deals that were agreed before deadline.
The 18-year-old will officially join the Reds in January after they agreed to pay €5 million for his signature, and AS Saint-Etienne retain a sell-on clause.
He will spend the 2026-27 season on loan at Ligue 1 outfit Brest in a move that will get him prepared to join the Reds next summer.
Considered one of France’s brightest teenage goalscorers, the move reinforces Liverpool’s strategy of securing elite European talent ahead of rival competition.
Who is Djylian N'Guessan?
Born in August 2008 to an Ivorian mother and a French father, Djylian N'Guessan joined the AS Saint-Etienne youth ranks as a seven-year-old on 2015.
The youngster made his debut for their U-17 team in the 2022-23 season when he was only 14 years old.
He signed his first professional contract with the club in November 2024, three months after he turned 16 years old.
He then made his professional debut two months later in a Ligue 1 win over Stade de Reims, becoming the third-youngest player to ever feature for the club.
He played a total of 13 senior games for his boyhood club across the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons, scoring once.
Tactical Profile: Box Presence, Finishing, and International Pedigree
Djylian N'Guessan's early career showings have earned him comparisons to former Lille striker Victor Osimhen.
The teenager operates as a modern central striker who combines physical presence inside the 18-yard box with sharp intelligent runs off the last line.
N'Guessan is also capable of featuring off the left flank as an inside forward, where he can cut onto his stronger right foot and attempt shots at goal.
His positional fluidity has also resulted in some comparisons to compatriot Eli Junior Kroupi, who has thrived in the Premier League.
Composed and efficient under pressure, the youngster caught international attention at the Under-17 European Championship, where he scored four goals and earned a spot in the Team of the Tournament.
He also played for France at the U-20 World Cup last year despite being only 17 years old, appearing in all seven games as they finished in fourth place.
The Brest Loan: Why Liverpool Prioritized Immediate Ligue 1 Minutes
Liverpool have taken a leaf out of Chelsea's playbook for this one, as they have opted to handle Djylian N'Guessan like their rivals handled Honest Ahanor this summer.
The Reds have signed the young striker but have decided against adding him to their official records until January, in order to allow him spend time elsewhere on loan.
Technically, he remains a Saint-Etienne player, but the agreement with Liverpool means that the Reds have immediate control over his future, even if he is to officially join them in January.
As a result, they have decided to prioritise Ligue 1 minutes over Ligue 2 opportunities at Saint-Etienne for the youngster this season, and have chosen to send him to Brest.
The Reds do not want to interrupt the development of the teenage striker, leading them to decide not to sign him for the summer..
They have already reached their maximum allocation of six foreign loans with the likes of Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Harvey Elliott, and Lucca Brughmans, meaning that he would have to play in Premier League 2 or serve as an understudy to Alexander Isak in the first team.
The top-flight starting experience for Brest in Ligue 1 allows him to build physical resilience and tactical maturity before competing for first-team minutes under Liverpool's senior coaching staff next summer.
