Liverpool forward made famous in Barca win 'on trial' at Leeds United after 'deal agreed' for Aston Villa man

Liverpool are preparing for their final Champions League game until the round of 16 as they head to the Netherlands to take on PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night. The Reds have already secured passage to the first knockout round after beating Lille 2-1 last week to make it seven wins from seven in the competition.

A draw at PSV will be enough to secure top spot in the league phase, with Barcelona three points behind the Reds after they dramatically came from behind to beat Benfica 5-4 last week. As Arne Slot’s side prepare for matches with PSV and then Bournemouth, there is less than a week remaining in the transfer window. Incomings are unlikely at Anfield unless the right deal becomes available.

The focus before the window closes will be on loan exits for the club’s younger players. Liverpool have sanctioned two permanent exits this month with academy midfielder Tom Hill heading to League Two Harrogate Town while goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga has returned to Fluminense.

Oakley Cannonier on trial at Leeds

Forward Oakley Cannonier could leave on loan this month and is currently on trial at Championship side Leeds United, reports The Athletic. He featured for the club’s Under-21s side on Monday as they lost 2-1 to West Ham United in Premier League 2 on Monday. The 20-year-old hails from Leeds and joined the Reds academy from the Yorkshire outfit.

Leeds are top of the Championship after a 0-0 draw with Burnley on Monday evening, and are keen to bolster this month to ensure they are promoted to the Premier League after losing the play-off final to Southampton at Wembley last season. Cannonier has struggled with injury in recent years. He scored a stunning 28 goals in 26 games in the Under-18s Premier League in the 2021-22 campaign. However, he only played 18 games across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns due to injury.

The Whites had been aiming to recruit Aston Villa midfielder Emiliano Buendia but have missed out on his signature after it was reported he was heading to German champions Bayer Leverkusen - who are managed by ex-Reds midfielder Xabi Alonso. Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg reported on X on Monday: “Emiliano Buendia, now on the verge of joining Leverkusen with immediate effect! Total agreement with Aston Villa now has been reached. Verbal agreement was done. 28 y/o versatile attacking midfielder will join Leverkusen on a 6-month loan with an option to buy. Medical soon.”

Cannonier made famous in Barca win

Liverpool famously beat Barcelona 4-0 at Anfield in the Champions League semi-final in 2019 as they went on to lift the trophy in Madrid. The Spanish outfit led 3-0 from the first leg but goals from Divock Origi and Georginio Wijnaldum turned the tie on its head as the Reds completed a stunning comeback. Origi netted the fourth goal after a quick corner from Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Although he was 14 at the time, Cannonier played a role in the victory as he was the quick-thinking ball-boy who rolled the ball to Alexander-Arnold in front of the Kop end with the right-back acting quickly to find Origi as Barca were caught napping.

"It does make me feel proud, it is a massive moment," said Cannonier in an interview with Liverpoolfc.com in 2022. "But I want to be a footballer, not a ball boy.”

Reflecting on that night further, he added: "I picked that spot for the atmosphere and stuff. I'd done some games before, like Dortmund when Lovren scored the header – Lovren slid in that corner where I was. I've had good luck when it comes to ball-boying, to be fair! Liverpool were obviously getting beat, so the assistant manager told our coach Carl that the ball needs to be in rapid for the intensity of the game and stuff because we were 3-0 down. Everything had to be quick and you had to get the ball back on the pitch.

"I went to school the next day and all the Liverpool fans in our school were just coming up to me and going, 'You won us the game!' I had to go in a different room because there were so many people coming up to me. It still is a bit mad. People getting in touch on social media calling me a Liverpool legend. But if you look at what Trent's done with Liverpool's first team and won stuff with them, I'd love to do that. I don't want to just be like a ball-boy legend, you know what I mean?"