Liverpool have agreed to sign Monaco midfielder Fabinho in a deal that could be worth more than £40m. The Brazil international, 24, will join the Champions League finalists on 1 July for around £39m (45m euros). A further £4m (5m euros) could be added in performance-related bonus payments and Fabinho’s arrival will likely be followed by the departure of Emre Can. “This is something that I always wanted – this is a giant of a team,” said Fabinho. “I am really excited.” Fabinho’s combination of character and ability make Jürgen Klopp delighted with Liverpool’s agreement to sign the midfielder from AS Monaco.
The 24-year-old will join the Reds on July 1 after 225 appearances and 29 goals for the French club, with whom he won the Ligue 1 title in 2016-17. Klopp believes the Brazilian not only raises the quality of the squad at his disposal even further but brings a mentality perfectly suited to the current dressing room. “We have signed a fantastic player, but someone who is an equally fantastic person I think,” the manager explained to Liverpoolfc.com. “His reputation as a character in the dressing room and his attitude in training has come through from everyone we speak to. “He has a lovely family also – adding a person like this to our dressing room only makes us even stronger. What we have – in terms of our environment at Melwood and in the team – means anyone coming in must be of that build. They must be the highest quality person and player.
“He has ability and mentality to play at the highest level in a number of positions. He can play ‘6’, ‘8’ and ‘2’. This is cool. “He is tactically very strong and football smart. I think he improves our squad and there aren’t that many players you can say that about in this moment, because the quality we have already is so high. “I like that he is young yet experienced also, with a high number of games at a club that compete to win. Also, international caps for Brazil tells you something about him. “This signing gives us new opportunities and for that I am excited. I’m sure our supporters will make him very welcome and at home at our wonderful club and in our amazing city.”
