Forest Green Rovers recruitment team have swooped for midfielder James Balagizi from Liverpool on a season-long loan.
The highly-rated 21-year-old has been with the Reds since the U11 age group, signing his first professional contract in September 2020 before penning an extension during the 2023/24 campaign.
An England youth international, Balagizi has been a regular for Liverpool’s U18s and U21s, notably starring in the side that reached the FA Youth Cup final in 2020/21. He also featured on the senior bench during the 2021/22 season.
The midfielder already has valuable first-team experience, having enjoyed loan spells at Crawley Town, Wigan Athletic and Kilmarnock.
Speaking about the signing, Director of Football Mark Bowen said: “James is a top talent and we’re delighted to be able to attract a player of his ability to the football club, especially when there was strong interest from clubs higher up the pyramid.
“We’re incredibly thankful to Liverpool for allowing us to aid his development and add more quality to our squad here at FGR. He can play in a number of positions across midfield and has an excellent passing range to help build from the back, while also offering powerful forward runs.”
Manager Robbie Savage added: “It’s another great bit of recruitment for the club and shows the incredible backing we continue to receive from Dale [Vince] and Asif [Rehmanwala]. We’re delighted to add James to the squad.”
