Liverpool announce £60m arrival of Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig on a five-year deal as the Hungarian takes Steven Gerrard’s iconic No 8 in latest addition to Jurgen Klopp’s rebuild
By DOMINIC KING and KIERAN LYNCH FOR MAILONLINE
Dominik Szoboszlai is now officially a Liverpool player and has been given the exciting challenge of upholding the tradition of one of the club’s most famous jerseys.
The Hungary international arrived on Merseyside on Saturday to undergo a medical, which he passed with no issues, and has signed a contract that will run to June 2028 after Liverpool triggered his £60million release clause to sign him from RB Leipzig.
Szoboszlai will be asked to add a different dimension to Jurgen Klopp’s midfield and he will wear number 8 – the shirt synonymous with Steven Gerrard; Liverpool fans will be hoping the 22-year-old has significantly more success in it than Naby Keita, who made an identical move from the Bundesliga to Anfield in 2018.
Klopp has been charting Szoboszlai’s progress for sometime and Liverpool moved for him, having considered Mason Mount as an option for that role.
He joins Alexis Mac Allister, who moved from Brighton at the start of June, as the second addition to Liverpool’s squad since the end of last season and represents a key piece of business.
The youngster told Liverpool’s official website: ‘It’s really, really good. I enjoyed the last [few] days and I’m looking forward to knowing everybody better.
‘The last three or four days went really long; it was not that easy. But at the end I’m here, I’m happy and I can’t wait to get started.
‘[A] really historic club, really good players, good coach, everything is good. For me it was perfect to make the next step in a club like this. The fans, the stadium, everything is really good.’
On why he picked the No 8 shirt, he revealed it was because he had a Gerrard tattoo after being a fan of the Reds legend growing up.
He said: ‘I have a tattoo from Steven Gerrard that was a reason why.
‘When I was a child, to be honest I didn’t watch that much football, but when it was Champions League I watched, and he was one of the biggest (players).’
Klopp meanwhile revealed that he was excited about his new signing’s immediate and long-term impact.
He said: ‘We already have a little knowledge of Dominik as an opponent because we had a couple of really tough games against Red Bull Salzburg when he was a player there and I think everyone who saw those fixtures will have realised that even at that stage he was a really interesting prospect.
