Liverpool Confirm Signing of Young Brazilian Goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga

Liverpool have completed the permanent signing of Fluminense goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga.

The 17-year-old has begun work at Melwood and will train alongside the first-team while playing for the Reds' academy.

Pitaluga was part of Guilherme Dalla Dea's squad that won the Under-17s World Cup on home soil in 2019.

Muriel Becker, brother of current Liverpool number one Alisson, apparently played a big part in the deal, scouting the youngster while the two were both at Fluminense.

Speaking to the club's official website, Liverpool head of goalkeeping John Achterberg spoke about Alisson's influence in the move.

He revealed: “I asked Ali (Alisson) to speak to his brother to see how it goes and how he (Pitaluga) is doing. Ali spoke to his brother and Ali went training there. We saw a little bit from the training and the games he was playing for the reserves in Brazil."

Achterberg continued to explain how he found the young goalkeeper, citing his age as one of the main reasons for bringing him to Anfield.

“I saw him for the first time in the World Cup squad. You’re checking all the goalies and looking at the ages. You see that he was in the World Cup squad one year younger than the rest of the squad, then you think that’s worth a look because normally you have two goalkeepers of the same age, but if you have someone who is a year younger you think he may have some good attributes."

Liverpool's last line of defence has been a concern for a while. While they own one of the best goalkeepers in the world, the back up options have been shaky, with former West Ham man Adrian coming under a lot of fire for his performances.

However, Achterberg emphasised that there is no expectation for Pitaluga to come into the first team immediately, adding: “Now he is here, we have to improve [him]. He is still young, there is no pressure because there is still a long road and we don’t want to create any pressure for him because there is still work to do."