Liverpool are close to agreeing a cut-price €3m deal to sell midfielder Luis Alberto to La Liga side Valencia, according to reports in Spain.
Spanish publication Plaza Deportiva have reported that Liverpool midfielder Luis Alberto is close to completing a €3m move to Liga BBVA side Valencia. The report states that although the Reds had previously rejected offers from Sevilla, Watford and even Valencia for not meeting their €6m valuation of the youngster, the club is now prepared to part with the player for almost half the price.
The Spaniard has two years left on his Liverpool contract, which seems to have compelled Liverpool to reopen negotiations with Valencia and settle for a considerably lower fee compared to their asking price. It is also reported that the player is liked by the current Valencia coach Pako Ayestaran, who is keen on securing the services of the midfielder on a permanent basis.
Luis Alberto came up through the ranks at Sevilla and even had a loan spell at Barcelona’s B side before making the permanent switch to the English Premier League with Liverpool in the summer of 2013 for a reported fee of £6.8m. The 23-year-old made his league debut in September 2013, coming on in a 1-0 win against Manchester United. He went on to make 9 Premier League appearances for the club in the 2013-14 season.
The Spaniard spent his last two seasons out on loan to Malaga and Deportivo La Coruna, and experienced his first breakout season with the latter in the 2015-16 season. At Deportivo, the midfielder got his first taste of regular first-team football in the top tier and was immense for the club, boasting a return of six goals and seven assists in this 29 appearances.
Valencia are keen on adding numbers to the midfield after the departure of Andre Gomes to Barcelona and fellow midfielder Javi Fuego to Espanyol. Given the fee involved as well as Luis Alberto’s experience in the league, Los Che have little to lose and potentially a lot to gain from this deal.
If Valencia are able to secure the transfer of Luis Alberto, they may just be able to get the best years of the Spaniard at the Mestalla as the 23-year-old is showing an upward trend in terms of form and consistency.
