James Balagizi has joined Kilmarnock on loan until the end of the season.
The box-to-box midfielder, 20, is a top prospect in Liverpool's academy. He's been in their youth system since joining the U11s age group.
Derek McInnes has tapped into his contacts at the Premier League club once again, having developed a good relationship with the Reds over his management career.
Russ Richardson was a scout at Liverpool prior to joining Killie as their head of recruitment. He was crucial in bringing left-back Luke Chambers to Rugby Park last January.
Now, it appears both McInnes and Richardson have worked that relationship once again to secure Balagizi for the remainder of the campaign.
“I’m really excited to get the deal done, I am happy with the project at the club and excited to get things going," he said. "The manager did well at convincing me to come, hearing the plan that he’s got.
“The team is building something really exciting for the fans and for the club itself, so to come here and hopefully add to that is part of my plan."
The young midfielder already has some first-team experience in the early part of his career.
He made 16 appearances for League Two Crawley Town in the 2022/23 season. He scored three goals and notched one assist.
Wigan then secured the services of the all-action, creative player for the first half of this term. He managed just 414 minutes on the pitch in his seven appearances, though.
Balagizi suffered a hamstring injury at the end of November which hampered his progress at the DW Stadium. This ruled him out for six weeks, with Liverpool recalling him from his time at the League One outfit on January 4 this month.
READ MORE: Rory McKenzie on desire to finish career at Kilmarnock
It came after a similar issue for Balagizi last season when he underwent surgery for an injury that ended his time at Crawley mid-season.
He was named on the bench for the Carabao Cup clash with Norwich and FA Cup win over Shrewsbury last term, but has so far failed to make a senior debut for Jurgen Klopp's side.
McInnes was desperate to sign a new midfielder before the end of the January window with Brad Lyons out injured until April and Kyle Magennis also out for the foreseeable.
Balagizi becomes Killie's second signing of the month, with Greg Stewart joining last week.
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