Al-Ittihad have finally confirmed the signing of Brazilian midfielder Fabinho from Liverpool, with the final fee set to be around £40 million for the former Monaco man.
It seems surprising that the midfielder made the decision to leave the Anfield club. But with no Champions League football, now is as good a time as any for the 30-year-old to end his Liverpool career.
The fee represents a good one for Jurgen Klopp’s side and they will likely take that money they receive from the Saudi side and try and complete the signing of Belgian midfielder Romeo Lavia from Southampton, with a second offer being prepared according to Fabrizio Romano.
The sale of the Brazilian looks set to complete the Merseyside club’s rebuild as the former Man City midfielder would make it the third new midfield signing of the summer if Liverpool completes the purchase.
What would Fabinho offer his new side
The Brazilian midfielder has always been known for his tough tackling and his ability to cover every blade of grass on the pitch, but maybe lesser known is his passing abilities. So well known in fact that his nickname, according to The Athletic, is ‘lighthouse’ or ‘hoover’ just to highlight his ability out of possession as well as in possession.
With an 88% pass completion rate, according to FBREF, his ability to rotate the ball and keep possession and pressure on the opposition makes him a superb midfielder for any side.
For a team and a league that isn’t quite as good as the Premier League, the Brazilian should be one of the star players in the league and in his team.
With a side that features Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante, who has struggled with injuries, it’s clear that due to Kante’s struggles the Saudi side couldn’t rely on the Frenchman but can certainly rely on the Brazilian who has only missed 29 games due to injury since his move in 2018 according to TransferMarkt.