Liverpool agree fee for Alberto Aquilani
442 Staff - Wednesday 05 August 2009, 16:54
Liverpool moved quickly to line up a replacement for Xabi Alonso when they agreed a deal with AS Roma to sign Italy midfielder Alberto Aquilani subject to a medical, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.
Liverpool added on their website that they concluded their discussions with Serie A side Roma once the sale of Alonso to Real Madrid was finally agreed.
The 25-year-old slick-passing Aquilani is likely to play an important role for Italy in next year's World Cup finals.
"Alberto is a very good player and I'm delighted we've reached agreement with Roma for his transfer," said Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez.
Aquilani, who suffered a string of injuries last season and is not yet 100 percent fit after ankle surgery in May, will have a medical later this week.
"Alberto has a winning mentality and great experience in both Serie A and the Champions League. He has long been recognised as a top class talent in Italy, captaining his country at both under-19 and under-21 levels before establishing himself in the senior national side," Benitez added.
Aquilani is Liverpool's second major signing of the close season after England right-back Glen Johnson joined from Portsmouth for an undisclosed fee in June.
Roma needed to sell at least one of their best players to finance their close-season transfer dealings.
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