Liverpool closing in on world-record deal to sign Brazil goalkeeper Alisson
Anfield club also reveal that attacker Oxlade-Chamberlain is set to miss all of new season due to injury
In what will be one of the biggest deals of the summer transfer window, Liverpool are set to smash the world-record fee for a goalkeeper when they sign Alisson from Roma.
British media reported that the Premier League club have agreed a fee of around £66.8 million (Dh320.5m) with the Italian club for the first-choice Brazil international.
The current record transfer in pounds for a goalkeeper is the £35m (Dh168m) by Manchester City paid to Benfica for Alisson’s compatriot Ederson last summer. The previous highest was Gianluigi Buffon’s £33m (Dh158.3m) move from Parma to Juventus in 2001.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has given public backing to Loris Karius following his poor Champions League final performance but has made signing a goalkeeper a priority.
The club are not prepared to say anything publicly until the deal is completed and as yet no medical has been arranged, with the possibility remaining that another club could match Liverpool’s offer.
Chelsea have also been linked with the 25-year-old player, who began his career with Internacional before moving to Roma two years ago.
Meanwhile, Liverpool’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is likely to miss the whole of the forthcoming season.
The extent of the knee injury suffered by the midfielder during the first leg of their Uefa Champions League semi-final against Roma in April has now been revealed.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, 24, sustained what has been described as multiple ligament damage in a tackle and underwent successful surgery eight days later. He will not need to go under the knife again but faces a rehabilitation programme before he will to return to competitive action. “The estimated length of his lay-off was not revealed at the time at the request of Oxlade-Chamberlain, who did not want the news to distract from the Reds’ ongoing Champions League run and the excitement surrounding it,” a Liverpool statement read.
The news will come as a huge blow and a shock to Liverpool fans, with Oxlade-Chamberlain among their star performers during the latter stages of last season. “It feels like now is an appropriate time to tell people that for Ox this coming season will be about focusing on recovery and rehab,” Klopp told liverpoolfc.com.
“We have known this from pretty much the day after he got the injury and after the successful surgery, we were sure of it. I hope everyone treats this information responsibly.
“There has been no change, no setback – it’s exactly on the schedule we expected and planned for. The new information is that we’re now giving more detail publicly.
“It is typical of Ox that he didn’t want the news to overshadow the end of the season and, to be quite honest, we thought we could wait and tell people at an appropriate time.
“His recovery has started superbly well. If we do see him back this season it will be a bonus.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain ended a six-year stay at Arsenal by joining Liverpool last summer in a £35m deal.
“It is so important – because of how valuable and important he is to what we are looking to do here in the coming seasons – that the focus is on doing this right and not rushed,” Klopp added. “Ox is completely on board with this approach.
“He is such an outstandingly good person and someone who even when not playing is integral to the heartbeat of Melwood.”
It is typical of Ox that he didn’t want the news to overshadow the end of the season. His recovery has started superbly well JURGEN KLOPP