Official: Luis Alberto Completes £4.3M Lazio Transfer

Luis Alberto arrived at Anfield in 2013 a highly regarded youngster who came up through Sevilla’s academy and spent time plying his trade at Barca B. He was one of the first signings of the Brendan Rodgers era and the expectation was that languid passing style would be a perfect fit for the possession game Rodgers wanted to play.

Only in practice, Liverpool never ended up playing that style of game under Rodgers, and Alberto soon found himself surplus to requirements. He spent a season on loan at Malaga, and then at Deportivo La Coruna. When he returned at the end of last season, Liverpool made it clear he would be sold if possible in the summer.

Today, after completing his Lazio medical, that sale has officially been completed. It’s a £4.3M base deal potentially rising to £6M with add-ons, and most interesting is a 30% sell-on clause that could see Liverpool well compensated should Alberto become a star in Italy.

And based on last season with Deportivo, with the right side there seems every chance of him doing just that. In the 2015-16 season, Alberto made 31 total appearances for the La Liga side, scoring six goals and adding eight assists along the way. It was more than a respectable return, and one that supported Liverpool’s determination not to sell him on the cheap.

That determination priced Sevilla and Valencia out of the running for him, but Lazio’s late interest—and willingness to agree to a significant sell-on clause in addition to the fee—in the end were enough to get a deal done.