Adam Lallana: Brighton sign midfielder from Liverpool

Brighton have signed Adam Lallana on a free transfer from Liverpool.

Lallana, whose Liverpool deal was set to expire at the end of the season, has agreed a three-year contract with Brighton and returns to the south coast having left Southampton to move to Anfield in 2014.

The 32-year-old, who is understood to have had other Premier League offers, completed a medical on Monday.

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“Adam is a really exciting signing for us, someone I am sure the supporters will be really looking forward to seeing play as and when things are able to begin to return to normal,” said Brighton head coach Graham Potter.

“To have both his experience and quality out on the pitch will be a great addition for us, and I know he will be an excellent role model for our younger players in the squad.

“I am really looking forward to working with him when we return for pre-season training in a few weeks.”

Lallana, who scored 22 goals in 178 games for the Reds, won the Premier League, the Champions League, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup during his six-year stay on Merseyside.

“There is no doubting Adam’s quality, and if you look at his footballing CV his ability is clear for everyone to see,” Potter added.

“He has played at the very highest level, for both club and country, and achieved great things. He has a wealth of experience alongside his technical quality.

“The honours he won during his time at Liverpool, and the high regard in which he is held at Anfield, only further underline his ability and character.”

Lallana had penned a short-term deal at Anfield to cover the remainder of the extended Premier League campaign, but did not feature for Jurgen Klopp’s title-winning team after the season’s restart.

At the time of his contract extension, Lallana revealed that he had sat down with Klopp and had an “honest conversation” about his role in helping Liverpool towards their first English top-flight title in 30 years, and that he was grateful for getting to “say goodbye to the people who mean so much to me in the right way”.

He made 15 appearances and scored once in the Premier League before the 2019-20 term was suspended in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Sky Sports News reported last month that the former England international’s representatives had been contacted by Leicester, with the Foxes interested in a move for the attacking midfielder.

Lallana’s new club Brighton finished the Premier League campaign by sealing their record points tally in the top flight, after earning a 2-1 win away at Burnley on the final day of the season.

The summer transfer window will run for 10 weeks from July 27 and close at 11pm on October 5. A domestic-only window for trades between the Premier League and EFL then runs from October 5 and closes on Friday October 16 at 5pm. Follow all the news and analysis on Sky Sports News and across Sky Sports’ digital platforms.

(c) Sky Sports 2020: Adam Lallana: Brighton sign midfielder from Liverpool