Young goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga has been pictured at Rio De Janeiro airport, with the Brazilian on his way to Liverpool to officially complete his summer move.
The 17-year-old had been with Fluminense for ten years, making his way up through the ranks. While he didn't actually feature in the senior team, Pitaluga - also known more commonly as Marcelo - had been training regularly with the first-team for around one year.
— LFC Transfer Room (@LFCTransferRoom) September 14, 2020
Liverpool were said to be closing in on the signing of Marcelo not long ago, with the Reds expected to pay an initial fee of around £700,000 - potentially rising to £1.8m if various performance-related add-ons are achieved.
Indeed, Fluminense confirmed on their official website on Saturday that they had agreed a deal with the Premier League champions for the goalkeeper. Marcelo said goodbye to his teammates on Saturday and prepared to depart for England in order to complete the move.
The shot-stopper has since shared a picture of himself on his Instagram story (as captured by the Liverpool Transfer Room) at the Rio airport, with the words 'You'll never walk alone' written beneath the photo.
As a result, the teenager's move to Anfield is expected to officially be confirmed by Liverpool in the not too distant future should all go to plan. The highly-rated Marcelo has previously trained with current Reds goalkeeper Alisson and his brother Muriel and they are also said to have kept in touch.
He has represented Brazil at youth level, and was part of the Under-17s side that won the 2019 World Cup. Once he completes his switch, Marcelo will become Liverpool's second signing of the summer, following the arrival of Greek defender Kostas Tsimikas from Olympiacos. The left-back joined in a deal thought to be around €13m (£11.75m).
Source : 90min