FABINHO’S A RED
Liverpool land Monaco star in £40m swoop
LIVERPOOL wasted no time in making a statement of intent after swiftly concluding a £43.7million deal to sign Monaco star Fabinho.
The Brazil midfielder arrived on Merseyside yesterday with his agent, Jorge Mendes, to complete his medical and agree personal terms that will keep him at Anfield until June 2023.
The deal provides a boost to Liverpool after the crushing disappointment of losing Saturday’s Champions League final.
Fabinho will be the first addition of an ambitious summer overhaul that is likely to see the Anfield club spend £150m on new signings.
Jurgen Klopp is determined that the momentum gained from the run to Kiev, which secured Liverpool prize-money of £67.7m, will not be lost and other targets include Lyon’s £60m-rated playmaker Nabil
Fekir and Alisson Becker, the Roma goalkeeper. But the first move has been swift and impressive. Fabinho (left), who will cost £39.4m plus add- ons, has clearly taken note of Liverpool’s form in Europe this season and has immediately set his sights on winning silverware. ‘ I am really excited about this move,’ Fabinho said. ‘This is something that I always wanted — this is a giant of a team. Hopefully, I’m able to win titles with this club.’ Klopp has earmarked Lyon’s Fekir, as the prime candidate to replace Philippe Coutinho, who joined Barcelona in January. Alisson, meanwhile, will replace Loris Karius as the club’s No 1 goalkeeper if Liverpool are given encouragement that Roma will do business. Their cause could be helped by the fact that the Italians are vulnerable due to financial fair play rules. Roma were punished by UEFA in May 2015 after reporting losses of £50m and while they are on a stronger financial footing now, they still have deadlines to meet and will be vulnerable to big offers for key players. Liverpool are aware that it would take a world-record fee for a goalkeeper to land Alisson, way beyond the £34.7m that Manchester City paid to Benfica for Ederson 12 months ago — Roma will not entertain bids that are below £60m. Liverpool agreed a £53m deal for RB Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita last summer and the Guinea player will arrive at Anfield on July 1.