Liverpool Agrees With Arsenal on £35M Fee to Sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Liverpool have agreed a £35m deal with Arsenal to sign England international Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, after the player rejected the chance to join Chelsea.
The Blues were reported on Monday to have seen a bid of similar value accepted by the Gunners, with Arsenal accepting their hands are tied in regard to his future after Oxlade-Chamberlain turned down a new contract last week. Liverpool, however, were then revealed to be the player's preferred destination if he did end up leaving the club.
Oxlade-Chamberlain is attracted to the prospect of being played in his natural position of central midfield, and that - as well as the fact he is said to have been a Liverpool fan as a child - are believed to be the main factors behind his decision.
Chelsea were preparing to use the player as a right-wing back - where he has been playing for Arsenal of late - one of the player's major frustrations is that he has been consistently played out of position at Arsenal. Oxlade-Chamberlain is now set to join up with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to compete for a berth in central midfield.
He is now expected to undergo a medical with the Reds, even while he is currently on international duty with England ahead of their upcoming World Cup qualifiers. It's expected the fee will rise to £40m given included add-ons, while the player will sign a six-year deal.
The player's management company, Colossal Sports Management, have also tweeted that they have a "deal agreed" for one of their clients to join the Reds, so it appears the move could be done very soon.