Two outbound moves were completed within a 24-hour window, following Curtis Jones’ €35m transfer to Inter Milan. Ndukwe, 18, heads to Spain to gain valuable first-team experience.
Work permit challenges were a key factor. Liverpool had agreed a principal deal to sign the Austria Vienna centre-back earlier in the year for around £2.6m, with the transfer finalised after a successful trial. Despite being touted as a major talent by captain Virgil van Dijk, post-Brexit regulations prevented Ndukwe from being eligible to play in competitive games in the UK.
Ndukwe has made just one senior appearance for die Veilchen and three caps for Austria U19s. He also featured seven times for Austria at the U17 level during their run to the 2025 World Cup. The arrival of Mor Talla Ndiaye for £1m from Amitie FC in January effectively blocked Ndukwe from meeting the work permit points threshold under the updated rules.
As a consequence, Liverpool opted to loan him out across Europe to accumulate the necessary points for a UK work permit either later in the season or ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
Ndukwe enjoyed a notable pre-season with Andoni Iraola’s squad in the United States. He started by replacing Joe Gomez against Sunderland, then played the full 90 minutes against Wrexham and Leeds, and started alongside Virgil van Dijk against Monaco at Anfield.
The loan move to Levante (the Frogs) provides regular top-flight minutes. Levante finished 16th in La Liga last season and began the new campaign with a 3-0 defeat at Espanyol. With consistent playing time guaranteed, Ndukwe will compete with Aïssa Mandi and Adrián de la Fuente for a starting spot ahead of Levante’s trip to Osasuna.
The longer-term plan for Ndukwe remains clear. Levante’s Klim Hein and the current defensive line-up can offer a platform to showcase his potential, while Liverpool assess future first-team opportunities for him. The squad currently includes Virgil van Dijk, Ronald Araujo, Jeremy Jacquet, Giovanni Leoni, Joe Gomez, and emerging talent Mor Talla Ndiaye. With Van Dijk and Gomez nearing the end of their contracts and Araujo on a loan deal, there could be opportunities in the near future for a young defender to break through, whether at Anfield or on another loan spell.
