NATHANIEL Clyne has completed his £12.5m move from Southampton to Liverpool.

The right-back has signed a five-year contract at Anfield and has been officially unveiled as a Reds player.

 

He leaves Saints after three seasons with the club, in which he made 104 appearances and developed into a senior England international.

Liverpool are believed to be paying £10.5m for Clyne, with a further £2m in add-ons.

It is not as much as Saints would have liked for the 24-year-old, but their negotiating position was weakened as a result of the defender having just one year left on his deal.

With no sign of Clyne being willing to extend that contract, despite a significant offer that was made to him, the club had little choice but to agree a fee with Liverpool.

Saints have already signed a replacement, following the capture of Portugal international Cedric Soares, 23, from Sporting Lisbon, in a deal that could be worth £4.6m.

Saints' executive director of football Les Reed told the club's official wesbite: “With Nathaniel’s contract entering its final year, it was important that his future was resolved this summer.

“With Cédric Soares now in place and it becoming clear that Nathaniel did not wish to extend his deal, we were keen to swiftly move on early in our pre-season schedule.

“We have now been able to conclude our negotiations with Liverpool, and we thank Nathaniel for his efforts during the past three seasons.”

Clyne told Liverpool's website: "I'm delighted and it's a dream move for me to come here and play for such a big club with all of its history. I can't wait to get started.

"As soon as Liverpool showed their interest in me, I was happy and just wanted the deal to go through.

"The gaffer has shown a lot of interest in me and this is a place where I can improve as a player, I think. It's definitely a good opportunity to come here and try to fulfil my potential.

"I've played at Anfield before and know what the atmosphere is all about. It's a great atmosphere and will make me rise to the challenge. I'm really looking forward to it and hopefully it can push me on to putting on good performances."