Liverpool Reportedly Agree Record £66M Fee with Roma for Alisson Becker

Liverpool have reportedly agreed a fee of £66 million with Roma for the signing of goalkeeper Alisson Becker.

Paul Joyce of the Times relayed the news on Wednesday:

Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano of the Guardian has said the club will now make plans for the player's medical ahead of a world-record move. It's added the Brazilian spoke to Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp over the phone on Tuesday and is keen to make the switch. 

"Liverpool and Roma were in talks on Wednesday, ironing out details over how the fee will be structured," added Romano. "Chelsea were ready to move for Alisson if Thibaut Courtois departed, but Liverpool have acted swiftly in an attempt to secure their No. 1 goalkeeper target."

It was reported by David Anderson and Adrian Kajumba of the Daily Mirror that Chelsea were still keen to sign the Roma man and were ready to part with around £70 million to get the deal over the line. However, it appears Liverpool are in a strong position to complete the transfer.

As relayed by betting company Coral, Liverpool are ready to smash the world-record amount paid for a goalkeeper:

For Liverpool, the signing will provide a significant upgrade in what has become a problem position for the team under Klopp. Loris Karius made two significant mistakes in last season's UEFA Champions League final, while Simon Mignolet and Danny Ward have not been deemed good enough.

Alisson, by contrast, is on an upward trajectory in his career, having come off a wonderful campaign for Roma in 2017-18.

These figures sum up just how valuable he was to the Italian club last season:

After arriving at Roma in 2016, Alisson spent his first season at the Stadio Olimpico as back-up to Wojciech Szczesny, before taking over the No. 1 spot in the previous campaign after the Pole's departure to Juventus.

In that time, Alisson has made rapid progress. He's an exceptional shot-stopper and a footballer who comes alive in key moments.

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Crucially for Liverpool, Alisson is also an outstanding distributor. While he's calm with the ball at his feet and adept at playing short passes into midfield, he's also capable of hammering long passes over the top, the type of balls Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah should thrive on.

As noted by journalist Jack Lusby, if this deal does get done then Liverpool would be on course for a fine summer:

The acquisitions of these players seem to have resolved a lot of the issues that the Reds had last season. Now, with the most expensive goalkeeper in history potentially joining the most expensive centre-back of all time—Virgil van Dijk—at Anfield, there will be a pressure on Klopp and his team to challenge for big prizes.

Provided things click with these new acquisitions there's no reason why they can't do so. And in Alisson, they appear on the brink of securing their most important acquisition of the summer.