Liverpool’s January transfer plans will be under scrutiny as sporting director Julian Ward works on the club’s long-term squad strategy under head coach Andoni Iraola. With the winter window approaching, attention is likely to turn towards emerging attacking talents who could strengthen the Reds’ options for the coming seasons.
Young players attracting attention in Major League Soccer (MLS) are particularly likely to generate speculation, especially when social media posts appear to suggest a move to Anfield is close. However, transfer claims need to be backed by credible reporting rather than online activity alone.
A player’s potential, a club’s recruitment interest and an imminent transfer are three very different things. That distinction has become important in the case of Orlando City teenager Justin Ellis, whose name has been linked with Liverpool following a TikTok post that raised questions about a possible move.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Liverpool on the VERGE of a massive January transfer! USMNT star Justin Ellis has reportedly jetted into Liverpool after allegedly posting (and quickly deleting) a photo from the AXA Training Ground! Here is why Julian Ward and Andoni Iraola are pushing hard for the 19 year old Orlando City sensation: 🇧🇷 The "New Roberto Firmino": Ellis is a rare, elite playmaking No. 9. His tactical intelligence and flair mirror Bobby’s legendary deep dropping role. 🅰️ MLS Creator: He has racked up a stunning 10 assists in the MLS this season alone. ⏳ Contract Countdown: With his contract expiring in June 2027, Orlando City must sell in January or risk losing him for free. The Andoni Iraola rebuild is cooked to perfection. Wirtz, Barcola, Ngumoha… and now potentially Justin Ellis. The future is blindingly bright. Liverpool fans, how excited are we for this?
— @DailyFootyTakes (@DailyFootyTakes) October 23, 2026
Let us get one thing straight! The Justin Ellis “exclusive” doing the rounds, with Liverpool on the verge of a deal and the teenager jetting in, rests on a fake account. MLSsoccer.com reports that a TikTok post from Liverpool’s training ground bearing Ellis’s name sparked commotion this week, but a source with knowledge of the situation says the account was fake. Everything after that is decoration.
Here is how this “exclusive” spread. A post appeared on TikTok, allegedly Ellis’s, showing a photo from Liverpool’s AXA Training Centre, and the account was swiftly deleted. Fan sleuths pointed out that the profile had been tagged as his official page in past interviews, which sounds convincing until you remember a tag proves nothing.
Anfield Watch conceded in its first piece that it was all just rumours, then followed up with a headline calling him the new Firmino and a massive transfer. Here, words like “allegedly” and “reportedly” were doing a lot of heavy lifting.
If all of this was fake, then why did it catch on? Because the ingredients were already there. Liverpool are still hunting for a Salah successor, and Julian Ward only took the sporting director job on September 26th, so everyone wants to know what his first signing looks like. January is two months away, and in comes a deleted post, the perfect rumour, because nobody can check it to confirm.
There is a claim making the rounds that Ellis’s contract expires in June 2027, and the Lions will be forced to sell in January or be forced to give the player away for free, and this is pure lies. Orlando’s own release says he signed in February through the 2027 sprint season, with club options for 2027-28 and 2028-29, and the club’s player page lists him under contract through 2028-29. June is likely just the end of the short sprint season, and the options belong to Orlando City SC.
None of this is to say Ellis is a bad player; he is a phenomenal young talent. At 19, he sits fifth on MLSsoccer.com’s 22 under 22, with only Cavan Sullivan and Georgi Minoungou having completed more successful dribbles per match.
Ellis has also scored in each of his first two USMNT starts. Ellis also credits Griezmann with pushing him to defend more, a view his interim coach shares, which fits Iraola’s high-pressing style.
In my view, just enjoy the player, and forget about the rumour. If Liverpool do come for him, it won’t arrive through an anonymous TikTok. It’ll come from journalists with a track record, and it will go through an Orlando side that holds the options. Orlando hosts NYCFC this weekend, and that is the only fixture anyone has confirmed for him.
Before sharing the next “on the verge” headline, ask yourself three simple questions. Who is the source? What does the club’s paperwork say? Is anyone with a reputation backing it? This one fails all three.
So how excited should Liverpool fans be? About Ellis, fairly. About the “exclusive”, not at all!
