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He won’t be expected to make an impact in next season’s Liverpool squad, but 17-year-old AD Sanjoanense midfielder Paulo Alves will be the club’s first signing of the summer after Liverpool agreed a nominal fee with his current club and the youngster travelled to Merseyside to put pen to paper. He now returns to Sao Joao to complete the season with the Portuguese third division club.
Alves impressed the Liverpool academy earlier in the season when he headed to England for a trial with the Reds, and since then he has broken into Sanjoanense’s first team, making 12 appearances for them so far in 2015. The deal will officially be concluded when the transfer window opens, but with a fee agreed and pending contract signed, Alves is Liverpool’s first completed deal of the summer.
"Sanjoanense can confirm that, after many months of negotiations, they have reached an agreement with Liverpool for the outright transfer of Paulo Alves," red a statement from the Portuguese club, who currently sit sixth in the Terceira Divisao. "The agreement comes after a period of testing at the legendary English club, which met with the expectations of his parents."
It is expected that Alves will start out at the Kirkby Academy, but given his first team experience—even with a lower league side—the assumption is that he will quickly end up with the reserves at Melwood.
