Liverpool officially sign Nathaniel Clyne from Southampton
Liverpool have completed a deal to secure the signing of Southampton right-back Nathaniel Clyne. He has joined the club on a long-term contract and will now undergo a medical to finalise his move. The deal is reported to be worth £12.5million, as per Sky sources.
Southampton were already resigned to losing the England international after he snubbed a contract extension offered by the club as he had only 12 months remaining on his deal. The Saints went on to sign Portuguese right-back Cedric Soares for £4.7 million from Sporting CP as a replacement.
Manchester United were thought to be leading the race for his signature but have now seemingly focused their attention on acquiring his former Southampton teammate Morgan Schneiderlin.
Clyne expressed his happiness on joining the Reds and is looking forward to playing for the Merseyside club.
He told Liverpool.com: "I'm delighted and it's a dream move for me to come here and play for such a big club with all of its history. I can't wait to get started. As soon as Liverpool showed their interest in me, I was happy and just wanted the deal to go through."
"The gaffer has shown a lot of interest in me and this is a place where I can improve as a player, I think. It's definitely a good opportunity to come here and try to fulfil my potential," he added.
The 24-year-old began his career with Crystal Palace before moving on to Southampton, who signed him for a four-year deal during the summer of 2012. He has grown in stature in his 94 appearances for the club and made his first full international debut for England against Slovenia during 2014.
Clyne will be Liverpool’s sixth capture during this summer after signing James Milner, Danny Ings, Adam Bogdan, Joe Gomez and Roberto Firmino. At Anfield, he will link up with his former Southampton teammates – Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren.
Strikers Alexandre Lacazette and Christian Benteke have also been linked with a move to Liverpool in order to shore up their strikeforce after a dismal season for the club in front of the goal. Brendan Rodger’s summer overhaul is a consequence of Liverpool’s erratic 2014/15 season where they finished a disappointing sixth in the league.
He thanked his club and supporters on Twitter.