Liverpool have completed the signing of Portugal forward Diogo Jota from Wolves in a £41m deal that could rise to £45m with add-ons.
The 23-year-old has signed a five-year contract with the Premier League champions.
“It’s just a really exciting moment for me and my family,” said Jota.
The move represents a net outlay of about £30m for Liverpool, with defender Ki-Jana Hoever moving the other way for £9m and a possible £4.5m in add-ons.
Liverpool have also negotiated a 15% sell-on clause in the transfer taking Dutch player Hoever to Molineux.
“When you look at the Premier League, you always see Liverpool as one of the biggest teams in the country, so it’s impossible to say no,” said Jota.
“I think I am a team player. I play up front and my job is to find a way to score goals and to provide assists and that’s what they can expect from me – that I will always do my best.
Is right, @DiogoJota18 🤣
Not a bad effort 👀 pic.twitter.com/LTgkAiTkbk
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 19, 2020
“I will always try to help the team in the best way possible.”
Jota’s move follows the Anfield club’s £20m capture of Spain midfielder Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich on Friday.
They have also signed Greece left-back Kostas Tsimikas for about £11.7m this summer.
Jota can play across the forward line and would provide further cover – in addition to Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi – for Liverpool’s front three of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.
“He is a player who gives us so many options to use him,” said Reds boss Jurgen Klopp. “He’s 23 years old, still far away from being kind of a finished article, so much potential.
“He has the speed, he can combine, can defend, can press. It makes it just more unpredictable and gives us real options for different systems.”
‘Diogo Jota is going to the right place’
Former Atletico Madrid forward Jota joined Wolves on loan in their 2017-18 Championship-winning campaign before making a £12.8m permanent switch in 2018.
He made 131 appearances for the Molineux side, scoring 44 goals, including hat-tricks in last season’s Europa League victories against Besiktas and Espanyol.
“We did the deal because it is good for everyone,” said Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo. “Diogo was happy here but players like new challenges.
“Diogo is amazing and everybody knows the relationship we built. What Diogo did for us is absolutely fantastic.
“I think Diogo is going to the right place and we wish him all the best, knowing that it will never be forgotten, especially by our fans, all the memorable moments that Diogo provided.”
On Hoever, Nuno added: “He’s a player that I think really has potential, has talent. And it’s up to us to take the best out of him.”
