Liverpool have finally completed the signing of Calum Scanlon from Birmingham City, with the left-back costing the Premier League champions around £400,000.

The 15-year-old was highly-rated at St. Andrew's, and Blues had obviously wanted to keep the academy graduate in the hope that he would push on into the first-team.

However, the lure of the Reds proved too much, with The Athletic revealing that Scanlon had signed for the Merseyside outfit, with the deal having been in the pipeline for the past week or so.

Whilst Blues will be gutted to have lost an exciting prospect, the £400,000 fee represents decent business for the club, considering just how young Scanlon is.

It does highlight the challenge that the Championship side face when it comes to holding onto their top young players, something which has concerned Birmingham in recent months.

The club had announced plans last month which detailed how they wanted to restructure the academy, with a focus on improving their U23 side and to change the approach when it comes to recruiting youngsters.

Quiz: Do Birmingham City and Aston Villa have these 10 things in common?

The verdict

This move has been on the cards for a while now, and you have to say that it's a good move for Scanlon as he is joining a huge club with great facilities.

Of course, it's frustrating for Blues, particularly as they've given plenty of academy players an opportunity in recent years, with Jude Bellingham the obvious standout.

This shows the talent is coming through, and it will be interesting to see what happens after Blues restructure their current setup.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.