Southampton have confirmed the signing of highly-rated 18-year-old Tino Livramento from Chelsea on a five-year contract.
The deal reportedly sees Saints hand over £5m to the Blues, with a sell-on clause and a big buy-back option inserted ahead of his time on the South Coast. On his arrival at Staplewood campus on Monday, Livramento confirmed why he has joined Saints.
Speaking to southampton fc.com about his first conversation with Ralph Hasenhuttl, he said:
"“He wanted to tell me a lot. He wanted to tell me a lot about how he wanted me to train, how he wanted me to play and what he wanted me to bring to the team. I feel like that was really attractive for me to see him expressing those emotions and showing how he sees me playing in a Premier League team. That’s a big thing for me being 18 and it was a really good conversation.”"
Southampton grab a bargain if they play it right
Having managed to secure Livramento on a five-year contract, Saints have plenty of time to work with him and will hope to see him blossom into the player he is expected to become on the South Coast.
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He was not going to get the first-team football he needs at Chelsea because of their need for instant success and there were plenty of teams looking to sign him in this summer transfer window.
According to the Daily Mail, each of Brighton, Arsenal, Manchester City, RB Leipzig, AC Milan and Monaco were showing interest and, for that reason, it is clear that Saints have managed to beat some big clubs to their latest deal.
The potential price attached to Chelsea’s buy-back option also confirms that Saints have a top talent on their hands who should gradually develop into a top Premier League player.
Both Tom Barclay of the Sun and Alex Crook of talkSPORT suggest the clause may be set at around £40m. Quite frankly, Saints will be set for a healthy profit either way if they manage to help Livramento reach his full potential and he could play a part in a successful few years at St Mary’s.
Looking at the situation right now, it appears that Livramento will have to be second choice behind Kyle Walker-Peters. However, his signing may well push Yan Valery out on another loan or even a permanent deal despite composed showings in pre-season games to date.