Liverpool have wasted no time in making a statement of intent after swiftly concluding a £43.7million deal to sign Monaco star Fabinho.
The Brazil international will officially join the club on July 1 but arrived on Merseyside on Monday with his agent, Jorge Mendes, to complete his medical and agree personal terms that will keep him at Anfield until June 2023.
Liverpool have made an initial payment to the Ligue 1 side of £39.4million, with add-ons worth £4.3million being triggered around objectives such as qualifying for the Champions League.
Liverpool have completed a deal worth an initial £39.4million to sign Fabinho from Monaco
The Brazilian was Liverpool’s No 1 choice to replace Emre Can, who is set to leave the club
Fabinho represents the first step of what is likely to be an aggressive and swift transfer policy
He will replace Emre Can, who is seemingly bound for Juventus when his contract expires, and Fabinho will be the first addition of an ambitious summer overhaul that is likely to see the Champions League finalists spend £150million on new additions.
Jurgen Klopp is determined that the momentum gained from the run to Kiev, which secured Liverpool prize money of £67.71million, will not be lost and other targets include Lyon’s £60million-rated playmaker Nabil Fekir and Alisson Becker, the Roma goalkeeper.
But the first move has been swift and impressive. Liverpool enquired about Fabinho last summer, at the time they asked Monaco to be kept abreast of developments for Kylian Mbappe, Thomas Lemar and Benjamin Mendy, and have continued to follow him.
Fabinho, who had been linked with Manchester United and Paris St Germain among others, was clearly impressed by Liverpool’s form in Europe this season and he has immediately set his sights on winning silverware.
Liverpool unveiled the signing of Brazilian midfielder Fabinho on Twitter late on Monday night
‘I am really excited about this move,’ Fabinho said. ‘This is something that I always wanted – this is a giant of a team. The infrastructures of the club look exceptional.
‘A football club of this size coming after my services? I didn’t have to think that much about coming over.
‘I will try to create my own history at this football club. Hopefully, on a personal level, I’m able to win titles with this club. I will try to grow and learn and improve myself, and to be part of the club’s history.’
Klopp is determined to build a squad capable of sustaining a challenge for the Premier League and he has earmarked Fekir, the £60million rated playmaker at Lyon, as the prime candidate to replace Philippe Coutinho, who joined Barcelona in January.
Fabinho poses in next year’s Liverpool shirt for the first time since joining on Monday
Liverpool have wasted no time in making a statement of intent by securing Fabinho
Liverpool have announced the capture of Fabinho for an initial £39.4million
The 24-year-old is interested in a move to Anfield and the chance to work under Jurgen Klopp
Alisson, meanwhile, will become the new goalkeeper if Liverpool are given encouragement that Roma will do business and their caused could be helped by the fact that the Italians are vulnerable due to Financial Fair Play rules.
Roma have were punished by UEFA in May 2015 over Financial Fair Play after reporting losses of £50million and had sanctions imposed on them for three seasons.
The need to balance the books last summer meant they had no choice but to sell Mohamed Salah to Liverpool for £36.9million.
The Italians are on a stronger financial footing now, having reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, but they still have deadlines to meet and will be vulnerable throughout June to big offers for key players – it is why they considered selling Edin Dzeko to Chelsea in January.
Liverpool are aware that it would take a world record fee for a goalkeeper to land Alisson, way beyond the £34.7million that Manchester City paid to Benfica for Ederson 12 months ago – Roma will not entertain bids that are below £60million.
Klopp is moving fast as he begins to reshape his squad this summer ahead of next season
Liverpool also expect to open talks with Lyon for Nabil Fekir ahead of a possible £53m transfer
That valuation seemed exorbitant in February and Loris Karius’ form at the time had convinced Klopp to give the young German a prolonged run between the posts. The manager’s first instinct is always to find the necessary improvement from within, rather than just looking to buy.
But there are parallels with the way Liverpool recruited Virgil Van Dijk: Klopp was adamant that he was the only central defender he wanted and was prepared to pay for the quality and Alisson is now the only goalkeeper he would consider to come as a new number one.
Meanwhile, Liverpool could add to their medical department by recruiting Philip Jacobsen, who works for the rehabilitation department at Qatar’s sports medicine hospital, Aspetar.
Jacobsen worked with Adam Lallana when the England midfielder visited the clinic last October.
Roma’s Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson is valued at £60m and they are not keen to sell