Udinese defender http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/America-c38390
Cristian Zapata, the 24-year-old Udinese centre-back, admitted he was very close to signing a deal with English Premier League side Liverpool.
The http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Colombia-c2873 international has been linked with a move to Anfield since the start of this year and he has ended speculation by confirming he was headed to the English side.
Even though German Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich and Premier League rivals http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809.
However, he revealed he was currently focused on the upcoming Copa America, which was scheduled to begin on the 1st of July.
Zapata said while speaking to reporters:
“I do not know what to say, I can say that I am very close to Liverpool.
At the end of the Copa America, we will see what happens with my future.
I have gained experience, but the time has come for me to make the jump to a big team.”
Zapata made his senior debut with local Colombian side http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Deportivo-Cali-c38921 in the 2004-2005 season, making 17 appearances for the side before making a move to Udinese.
Having joined the Serie A outfit in 2005, Zapata has gone on to make 152 domestic appearances and has even managed to find the back of the net three times.
In 2007, the Colombian defender signed a contract extension with the Italian outfit which was set to keep him at the club until the end of the 2011-2012 season.
With just a year remaining on his contract, Udinese will not want to wait another year before selling player since they will be losing him to a free transfer.
There has been no mention of how much the Reds are paying for the signature of the young, but it is certain his transfer fee will not be more than that of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Jordan-Henderson-c19102.
Liverpool sent an insane amount of money to secure the services of former Sunderland midfielder Henderson, spending an estimated £16 million on the 21-year-old.
Even though Zapata has made it clear he will be signing with the Reds, he could however wait until after July to complete the transfer.
The Copa America will conclude in late July, which means Liverpool could have to wait an entire month before they can welcome Zapata to Anfield.
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