(Football news) Japanese forward Takumi Minamino is on the verge of moving to Monaco after an agreement was reached with Liverpool for £15.5m between the two clubs. The structure of the deal is an initial £12.9m (€15m) plus a further £2.6m (€3m) in add-ons. The 27 year old moved to Merseyside from RB Salzburg in 2020 but has failed to secure a place in the starting XI, making 55 appearances and scoring 14 goals.

The lack of opportunities prompted Minamino to be loaned at Southampton for the second half of the 2020/21 season, scoring twice in 10 appearances in the Premier League. Last season, Minamino made 22 appearances for the Reds, scoring 10 goals but the signings of Darwin Nunez and Fabio Carvalho meant that the Japanese forward would be further down the pecking order despite Sadio Mane’s departure to Bayern Munich. 

Liverpool had quite a successful 2021/22 season, winning the Carabao and FA Cup but endured a disappointing end for their campaign after missing out on the Premier League and the Champions League titles. They will begin their new league campaign against newly promoted side Fulham on August 6th. It will be the fourth season in a row when the Reds begin their domestic campaign against a Premier League newcomer. Jurgen Klopp’s team will then take on Crystal Palace before facing bitter rivals Manchester United on August 20th. 

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