DOHA (Qatar): Japanese international Takumi Minamino signed for Champions League holders Liverpool on Thursday for a reported fee of £7.25 million ($9.5 million) from Austrian outfit Salzburg.
The Premier League leaders are currently competing here at the FIFA Club World Cup, and will play Flamengo in the final on Saturday.
The 24-year-old forward is believed to have signed a four-and-a-half-year contract.
“Liverpool Football Club can confirm an agreement has been reached with Red Bull Salzburg for the transfer of Takumi Minamino,” the club said in a statement on their website.
Dream fulfilled
Minamino — who scored in the 4-3 defeat by Liverpool at Anfield in October — said it fulfilled a dream.
“It has been a dream, my dream to become a Liverpool player,” he told the club’s website. “And I’m so excited that the moment has come true. To play in the Premier League was one of my targets.”
“I think this is the top-class league in the world; I was thinking if my career as a footballer progressed smoothly, someday I would be able to play in the Premier League.”
Klopp praises Minamino
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp also praised the qualities of Minamino.
“He is very quick and a very brave player,” said Klopp. “He is brave with the ball but also brave without the ball.”
Minamino will be free to play for the Reds from January 1 and could be involved in the FA Cup third round tie against Everton on January 5.
His move brings an end to his five-year spell with Salzburg, whom he joined from Cerezo Osaka in January 2015.
In total, Minamino made 199 appearances for Salzburg, scoring 64 goals, while he has earned 22 caps for Japan and scored 11 times since making his debut in October, 2015.
