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Liverpool agree deal for second summer signing as Alisson plays key part in transfer
Liverpool are set to sign young goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga from Fluminese in a deal worth up to £1.8million.
Marcelo Pitaluga takes part in goalkeeping training session
Liverpool are closing in on the addition of teenage goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga, who they are set to make their second signing of the summer after £11.75million Greek left-back Kostas Tsimikas. The Reds' main keeper Alisson Becker has played a role in the deal, with a fee now agreed for the player.
The Brazilian is thought to be a fan of his countryman Pitaluga, who plays at the same club as his older brother, Muriel Gustavo Becker, in Fluminense.
Alisson has been photographed training with the pair, with Pitaluga standing at the same height as the 6ft 3in Liverpool No 1.
And it is Alisson's connection to the youngster that alerted the Merseyside club's scouting department to his abilities.
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Per the Daily Mirror, the Premier League champions have watched the 17-year-old since January although he is yet to make his first-team debut.
While Liverpool have not made many major additions in recent windows, they have looked to the future with the signings of Sepp van den Berg and Harvey Elliott.
And Pitaluga's likely arrival is borne from the same school of thinking as Liverpool look to get ahead of their rivals by snapping up the next generation's best young talents.
The Reds have agreed a deal worth an initial £1m for Pitaluga with a further £800,000 payable in add-ons. A 25 per cent sell-on clause is also believed to be a part of the agreement.
Pitaluga has already said his farewells to his Fluminense team-mates ahead of a switch to Europe, with a medical scheduled for next week.
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The Mirror say the South American shot-stopper is highly recommended and that Alisson himself is an admirer of the player.
Pitaluga appeared in the Copa Sao Paulo earlier this year with the coveted youth championship watched by clubs across the globe.
He plays for Brazil's U17 squad and was part of the team that won the U17 World Cup last year.
Crucially for Liverpool, Pitaluga holds a German passport thanks to his German heritage.
His dual citizenship means that he will not require a work permit and will not be hindered by rules that prevent Brazilian players from moving away from their home country before the age of 18.
Alisson too shares German ancestry and grew up in Novo Hamburgo, a town of German origin.
Pitaluga will at first go into Liverpool's youth teams and will hope to make an impression at under-18 and under-23 level to step into the first-team squad.
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He has been regularly training with Muriel Becker and the Fluminense senior side since last year.
There are said to be high hopes at Liverpool over the teenager, who has reportedly impressed scouts with his distribution.
Liverpool also signed 16-year-old goalkeeper Fabian Mrozek from FC Wroclaw in July, but that was on a youth scholarship deal.
Liverpool meanwhile opened their account for the new Premier League season on Saturday with a dramatic 4-3 win over newly-promoted Leeds United at Anfield.
And Alisson said post-match of the Reds' hunger to win after three times taking the lead and being pegged back by Leeds: "It's something that is inside of us.
“Obviously we work every day really, really hard to arrive at the ground and do our best.
"Sometimes you work in some way and the opponents adapt between the game and we have to adapt also.
"It was just the first match of the season and I believe we have many things to improve but those things will come with the games."
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