Norwegian wonderkid dubbed 'the next Odegaard' set to reject Liverpool for a second time

Norwegian wonderkid Andreas Schjelderup will reject Liverpool for a second time, according to a fresh report.

The 18-year-old has taken the Danish Superliga by storm this term, netting ten goals for Nordsjaelland in just 17 league games. Such form has seen him named the league’s best player for the first half of the season.

Schjelderup, who has drawn comparisons with his compatriot Odegaard, has attracted interest from some of the continent’s biggest sides.

According to reports in Norway, the midfielder, who is a self-confessed Liverpool fan, is on Jurgen Klopp’s radar while he has also attracted interest from a string of other teams.

However, it appears Schjelderup has snubbed a move to Anfield to sign for Benfica.

Schjelderup rejects Liverpool for second time

Schjelderup is thought to be on the verge of a £12.5million move to Portuguese side Benfica, rejecting a move to Liverpool for the second time in the process.

The youngster first declined a move to Anfield in the summer of 2020, when he was also attracting interest from the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.

According to Norwegian outlet TV2, Benfica's recruitment team will arrive in Copenhagen to finalise a five-and-a-half-year deal for Schjelderup.

The fee will make him the second most expensive Norwegian teenager in history after Erling Haaland, who was 19 when he joined Borussia Dortmund from Red Bull Salzburg for £17million.

While personal terms are yet to be finalised, the player allegedly believes Benfica is the perfect place to continue his development, with the club having honed the talents of Enzo Fernandez, Darwin Nunez, Ruben Dias and Victor Lindelof in recent years.

The youngster first rejected a move to Anfield in the summer of 2020, when the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich also showed an interest.

The player explained at the time per Football365: “I visited Ajax four times, PSV four times, Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, Fulham, Atalanta and Bayern Munich.

“They [Nordsjaelland] are a club that has shown that they give young players a chance and spend enormous resources on player development.”

Topics: Football, Liverpool, Martin Odegaard, Transfers, Benfica

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.