by Ciggy » Fri Aug 27, 2010 11:33 pm
Rory smith has said expect Meireles, konchelsky and a striker to sign by tuesday.
Liverpool move fast to sign Raul Meireles from Porto for £10.7m• Roy Hodgson acts quickly to sign 27-year-old midfielder
• Portuguese seen as ideal replacement for Javier Mascherano
(1)Tweet this
Daniel Taylor guardian.co.uk, Friday 27 August 2010 23.21 BST Article history
Liverpool's new signing Raul Meireles in action for Portugal during the World Cup. Photograph: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
Liverpool have moved quickly to replace Javier Mascherano by agreeing a £10.7m package with Porto tonight for the Portugal international Raul Meireles.
Meireles, one of Portugal's more impressive players in the World Cup, is understood to have agreed personal terms and, if everything goes according to plan, the deal will be completed over the weekend, dependent on the 27-year-old passing a medical examination.
The transfer was rushed through this evening after Mascherano finally got his wish to leave Anfield, joining Barcelona in a £20m deal that freed up the money for Liverpool to bring in a cheaper replacement.
Meireles is available for a low fee because he is in the final year of his contract and Porto have been trying to sell him rather than risk losing him on a free transfer next summer.
The player has been prominently linked with Manchester United over the past month but does not fit into the club's policy under the Glazer family of not signing players for big money if they are aged 26 or above, Dimitar Berbatov being the exception to the rule.
Liverpool do not operate with such restrictions and the manager Roy Hodgson will hope Meireles can make his debut in the league game at Birmingham City tomorrow week
There is no-one anywhere in the world at any stage who is any bigger or any better than this football club.
Kenny Dalglish 1/2/2011
REST IN PEACE PHIL, YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.