Liverpool turned down £30m from Forest for him in the summer, now their teenage scorer in Istanbul is close to a new deal

Trey Nyoni is in advanced talks with Liverpool over a new contract, only hours after scoring his first senior goal for the club in Istanbul.

According to The Athletic, the 19-year-old has been discussing his future with Liverpool for months. The club want fresh terms to reflect his rise into the first team under Andoni Iraola, even though his current deal already runs until June 2030.

Nothing has been signed yet, but there is optimism that an agreement will be reached, with a breakthrough expected soon.

Why are Liverpool rewarding Trey Nyoni now?

Because his season has gone from promising to properly important. Liverpool turned down a £30m offer from Nottingham Forest for the academy graduate in the summer, and he has since played 12 times for the Reds across all competitions.

He made his first Premier League start in last weekend’s 1-0 home defeat to champions Arsenal, and he has slotted into Iraola’s midfield alongside Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai or Ryan Gravenberch.

Then came Wednesday night. Nyoni opened the scoring against Fenerbahce at the age of 19 years and 127 days, making him Liverpool’s second-youngest Champions League scorer after Trent Alexander-Arnold.

A goal he’ll never forget, in a night to forget

The goal came in a 3-2 defeat that ended Liverpool’s unbeaten Champions League run. The Reds led twice, through Nyoni and an Alexander Isak header, but Mason Greenwood and Archie Brown both equalised before Vedat Muriqi headed the winner.

Speaking after the game, Nyoni said: “I’m proud, as always. I know my family back home are proud. It has been a long time coming but obviously happy to score and get my first goal for Liverpool. It’s a day that I’ll never forget. Even though we lost, it’s a day I’ll never forget.”

He was just as clear about what went wrong: “I think we had the game and then we had lapses in concentration in all the goals we conceded. The game at this level is about fine margins and if you don’t concentrate then you get punished.”

What has Iraola said about Nyoni?

The Liverpool head coach made it plain before the trip to Turkey that he rates the teenager.

Iraola said: “Trey just has to continue in the same way as since the beginning of pre-season, be ready for all of the games. We trust him, he’s doing very well. We have to encourage him to continue learning, improving and getting experience. But he’s in a very good place.”

Will Nyoni start against Crystal Palace?

He has a strong case. Gravenberch faces a spell out after fracturing his heel, and Szoboszlai has only just come back from an injury of his own, so Nyoni is in the running to start again when Liverpool visit Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday (2pm GMT).

Nyoni wants a reaction too: “The mentality of the team is top. Obviously the last game and this game were a couple of setbacks but a good team bounces back and on Sunday we have to be even better than what we were today, and I think if we do that then we’ll be able to win.”

Verdict: Liverpool are right to tie Nyoni down early

Liverpool don’t need to do this. A contract to 2030 is about as safe as it gets. But turning down £30m in the summer only makes sense if you then treat the player like he’s worth more than that, and a new deal does exactly that.

It also sends a message to the rest of the dressing room. Iraola has trusted a teenager in a midfield missing Gravenberch, and the teenager has delivered on the biggest stage. Rewarding that quickly costs little, and it keeps Forest and anyone else well away from the door.