Liverpool Announces Signing of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain From Arsenal for £40M
Liverpool have confirmed the signing of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Arsenal for a reported fee of up to £40m on their club website.
Three-time FA Cup winner Oxlade-Chamberlain put pen to paper on a six-year deal with Liverpool ahead of the deadline day cut off and could now make his debut for his club after the international break, against Manchester City on September 9.
Arsenal had also accepted an offer of similar value from London rivals Chelsea, but the 24-year-old rejected the move in order to seal a transfer to Liverpool and completed his medical at St George's Park, while on duty with the England national team, on Wednesday evening.
Liverpool had been linked with a move for Oxlade-Chamberlain, who had just one year left on his Arsenal contract, for some time and reports suggest he turned down Chelsea in order to play for his boyhood club and compete for berth in his favoured central midfield position.
“Firstly, I’m delighted to have signed for Liverpool and a big thank-you to everyone here at the FA that has made this possible, using the facilities. It has been a massive help," Chamberlain told the club website.
“I’m here with England and we’ve got two big games coming up, so I want to focus on them. But I can’t wait to get to Melwood and you’ll hear first from me on LFCTV.”
The former Southampton starlet, who joined Arsenal for an initial £12m in 2011, became the Gunners' record departure with his fee, which is reported to be £35m with £5m add-ons.
While Liverpool could also yet make deadline day swoops for Monaco's Thomas Lemar and Southampton's Virgil van Dijk. However, BBC Sport journalist David Ornstein has suggested that Arsenal are 'unlikely' to sign a replacement.