2018 UEFA Champions League runners-up Liverpool have agreed a deal with AS Monaco for midfielder Fabinho, according to reports.
The 24-year-old will join in a deal worth €45 million (£39m) that could be worth more than £40 million after add-ons.
Fabinho has been excellent for the surprise 2016-17 French Ligue 1 champions over the past two seasons, initially playing as a right-back before switching to a holding midfield role.
Fellow central midfielder Emre Can is widely-expected to leave Anfield for Juventus over the summer when his contract expires, so the Brazilian can simply be seen as a direct replacement.
He has four caps for the Brazil national team but is not part of Tite’s 23-man squad for this summer’s World Cup in Russia.
Jurgen Klopp is quoted as saying:
“He has ability and mentality to play at the highest level in a number of positions. He can play ‘six’, ‘eight’ and ‘two’. This is cool.”
Fabinho has been with Monaco since initially joining on loan in 2013 from Portuguese Primeira Liga side Rio Ave and has been a regular in their first team for each of his five seasons with the club.
The defensive player was strongly linked with a move to Manchester United last summer but a deal seemingly failed to materialise because the Ligue 1 side had already sold a number of their first team players following their title win and Champions League semi-final appearance.
Liverpool have already agreed to sign central midfielder Naby Keita from RB Leipzig this summer.
