Fabinho wastes no time urging Lyon forward Nabil Fekir to join him at Liverpool

FABINHO signed up for Liverpool - and immediately recommended that Lyon playmaker Nabil Fekir should move to Merseyside.

Brazilian defensive midfielder Fabinho, 24, has finalised his £44million switch from Monaco and will join the Reds on July 1.

5

American owner John W Henry has already sanctioned £52.75m for RB Leipzig's central midfielder Naby Keita, 25, to bolster Jurgen Klopp's title push next season.

Fekir, 24, is seen as direct replacement for Philippe Coutinho and will cost another £60m.

Negotiations are expected to open this week.

And Fabinho told  "He is a very good player, of international level.

5

5

Liverpool Transfer Stories

TIEBREAKER

What happens if Napoli and Inter finish on the same points in Serie A?

FOREST FELLED

Neville breaks silence after being banned from Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea

Serie A scores

Latest from Napoli vs Cagliari and Como vs Inter as title race goes to wire

Yacht party

Max Verstappen's £12m 'Unleash the Lion' super yacht turns heads at Monaco GP

"In Ligue 1, it is not only this season that he has demonstrated things. For a few years he has shown his quality. If he comes, it will be good too."

Fekir scored for France in the 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in Paris on Monday as they began their preparations for the World Cup.

ABSENT FRIEND Bale the star of Real Madrid kit unveiling - but there was no sign of you know who?

Fabinho, meanwhile, revealed how fellow-Brazilian Roberto Firmini influenced his move to Anfield.

He said: "I spoke by phone with Firmino. I know him personally, I have been in the national team with him.

5

5

"I was able to talk with the coach as well, with people working at the club. They gave me a lot of confidence, they showed me that they really wanted me.

"When we met, everything went very well.

"I spoke with people from the club, with the coach (Jurgen Klopp), which gave me a lot of confidence.

MOST READ IN FOOTBALL

UPDATE

GW37 injuries & suspensions: William Saliba among players out of closing weekend

STAR'S HEARTBREAK

Sunderland star found dad dead in bed and didn't tell team-mates

FOOTIE SHAME

Man Utd star who 'had balloon in his mouth' in 99mph horror crash avoids jail

FIRING SQUAD

Man Utd 'tell staff they've lost jobs just hours after EL final loss’

"I wanted to go to a club that really wanted me, which showed great interest. With all that, it was easy to say yes."

Klopp traditionally likes to wrap up his summer transfer business early.

Next on his list is expected to be Roma keeper Alisson, another Brazilian who will cost around £35m.