Report: Liverpool to sign Alisson from Roma for world-record goalkeeper fee

Liverpool is set to complete the signing of Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson from Roma on Wednesday for a fee of €75 million (£66.9 million), according to Fabrizio Romano of the Guardian.

The reported deal, which would be a world-record fee paid for a goalkeeper, is subject to Alisson completing a medical Saturday after he arrives in England.

The Premier League side failed in its initial attempt to convince Roma to sell Alisson with a bid reported to be worth €70 million (£62.4 million) on Tuesday.

But the two ultimately reached an agreement over an initial fee, which includes add-ons, that will be paid across two years. It's also understood that Alisson expressed his eagerness to join the Champions League finalist after recently speaking with manager Jurgen Klopp.

The reported fee exceeds the previous record that Juventus paid for Gianluigi Buffon when the Italian goalkeeper moved from Parma in a transfer worth €53 million (£32.6m) in 2001. However, it falls short of the club-record fee (£75 million) that Liverpool paid to acquire Virgil van Dijk from Southampton in January.

Alisson's arrival would see the Brazilian take over starting duties from Loris Karius, who, along with Simon Mignolet, has failed to prove that he's a competent long-term solution between the sticks.

Chelsea reportedly emerged as another possible destination following reports of Thibaut Courtois' apparent unrest, but the Blues did not make an offer.

Meanwhile, Wednesday's deal would see Roma make a substantial profit on the €7.5 million it paid to acquire Alisson from Internacional in 2016.

Liverpool and Roma clashed in the semi-finals of last season's Champions League, with the English side winning over two legs by an aggregate score of 7-6.

Liverpool has already completed lucrative deals to acquire Fabinho from AS Monaco for £40 million and Xherdan Shaqiri from Stoke City for £13.5 million. The Reds have also added midfielder Naby Keita, who was signed last summer in a deal worth £52.8 million but who remained with RB Leipzig for the 2017-18 campaign.