The captain of the Hungarian national football team, Dominik Szoboszlai, transferred from RB Leipzig to Liverpool FC.

The 22-year-old midfielder's change of club was reported on the social media page of the long-standing English club on Sunday afternoon. The player will have jersey number 8.

"I've enjoyed the last few days here, I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone better. The previous three or four days were very long, it was not easy. But after all, I'm here, I'm happy and I can't wait to start work," the association's website quoted Szoboszlai as saying.

"Liverpool is a club with a great past, with great players, a good coach, everything is great. It was the perfect next step for me. The fans, the stadium, everything is very good".

Szoboszlai signed a contract with Leipzig until 2026, and although Newcastle United were previously interested, Liverpool eventually became the runner-up.

According to the press, the midfielder's buyout price was 70 million euros (HUF 26 billion) - such a sum has never been paid for a Hungarian footballer - and he signed a five-year contract with the Reds.

"I know how excited he is to be here with us, but it's important he understands that we're just as excited for him," head coach Jürgen Klopp said.

Szoboszlai became the third most expensive footballer in Liverpool's history, after Uruguayan Darwin Nunez, who arrived from Benfica for 98.9 million euros last year, and Dutchman Virgil van Dijk, who was acquired from Southampton in 2018 for 87 million euros. At Leipzig (which signed him for 22 million), the Hungarian star now holds the club record in terms of income. Naby Keita, who also moved to Liverpool in 2018, and Christopher Nkunku, who moved to Chelsea this year, were the top players with 60 million each.

According to national team captain Marco Rossi, the signing of Dominik Szoboszlai to Liverpool is also a significant step for the Hungarian national football team.

"First of all, I am very happy that Dominik has become a Liverpool player, as it means that he will be able to work with top players and a top coach in one of the top teams in the strongest league in the world," said Marco Rossi.

The Italian specialist emphasized: the midfielder is still very young, as he is only 22 years old, so he still has huge potential from a physical, tactical and technical point of view.

"Which the work to be done at Liverpool and playing in the Premier League will certainly bring out of him, as there can be no doubt that all this will help his development. Even if he may not always play 90 minutes at the beginning," he said.

According to Rossi, Szoboszlai will only be at his peak in a few years. "But his continuous development will be a huge help for the national team until then, while he will become more and more important for us, and he will become more and more professional and a better player every day. The fact that Liverpool were willing to pay a huge amount for him shows how much the acquisition of Dominik meant to them, and although it is also true that the financial part of his transfer is the least interesting aspect from the national team's point of view, it is still telling," said the federation's captain.

Meanwhile, a song appeared on Twitter, in which Szoboszlai is encouraged by Liverpool's fans to sign the contract.

 

MTI