Brooks Lennon signing with Liverpool, TopDrawerSoccer says

Real Salt Lake academy standout Brooks Lennon is officially joining Liverpool, according to a report from J.R. Eskilson of TopDrawerSoccer.

Lennon, 17, has long been linked with the English side, and the report from Eskilson indicates that he'll be receiving an Irish passport — that was the only thing that kept him from joining sooner.

Signing Lennon, one of the most prodigious players from the system, wasn't unexpected. And while there's always a sense of what could have been if Lennon had signed with RSL, it's hard to be too upset about the whole thing.

Lennon, who is probably more comfortable on the wing than up top, could develop into a fantastic player at the highest level. While it would be fantastic to see that happen with our local side, the fact that our academy has done enough to foster his development and build up a very good player should speak volumes about its quality.

There's no indication whether Lennon will round out his academy days with more time with the U-18s in the USSDA playoffs, but for the good of the group, we hope he's involved.

There's also no clear indication whether RSL will retain homegrown rights in MLS, which seems like a weird conversation to have about a 17-year-old.