Done – Liverpool Agree £3.75m Deal For Portuguese Defender

Liverpool defender Tiago Ilori is on his way out of the club as the Reds plan to sell him off to Reading. The Championship side were reportedly willing to bid £2 million for the 23-year-old Portuguese centre-back but the Merseyside club held out for a little bit more.

However, according to the Liverpool Echo the clubs have agreed on a £3.75 million deal, which is far lower than what Liverpool would have wanted.

Ilori has not made a senior appearance for Liverpool since joining the club in the 2013 season but played in the FA Cup last season as the Reds faced an injury crisis. Time at Anfield for the youngster has been limited as the highly rated defender has been loaned out to Aston Villa, Bordeaux and Grenada across various seasons.

Reports claimed that Liverpool wanted close to £5 million (via Squawka)for the England-born player but the deal with Reading does lead to a loss made for the player. The 23-year-old was signed for a fee of £7 million from Sporting Lisbon but couldn’t really break into the first team.

Although many expected the Portugal U23 international to make it to the first team, he couldn’t cut it at the Reds and maybe Reading will be a better option for him. The Royals are third in the Championship and are looking to return to the Premier League under former Manchester United player Jaap Stam.

There is another reason why the club wanted to sign the defender up quickly and that is due to their FA Cup clash against the Red Devils. Stam would be looking to cause an upset and should Ilori play a part in it, he certainly would get into the good books of most Liverpool fans.

Another story of a failed youngster at Anfield

While Jurgen Klopp has provided chances to a number of players, the German has been ruthless in cutting off players as well. Ilori is not the first starlet to be sold by the club as Jordon Ibe and even Brad Smith found out.

The trimming of the size of players is certainly a good thing and the move for Ilori would certainly help his career, which seems to have stagnated at the moment. Stam seems to be doing all the right things at Reading and he could be the one that turns Ilori’s career around.

The Portuguese defender could certainly get better playing at a league lower than the Premier League and it would not be a surprise if the Reds do put in a buy-back clause for the former Sporting man.