Cameroon international Joel Matip will be a part of English Premier League giants Liverpool this summer, it has been confirmed on Monday. The 24-year-old Schalke utility defender will arrive at Anfield on a free transfer after his current contract with the German side expires at the end of the current season.
There are reports suggesting that his contract with the Reds at Anfield will run for four years.
"I have always said that there is only one reason I would leave Schalke - to experience something completely new. For that reason, I never considered a move to another Bundesliga club," Matip, who can also take the role of a holding midfielder with ease, was quoted by the Press Association.
"Even though the decision wasn't easy, I am certain that this is the right moment for me to take the next step in my career."
The German-born Cameroon international has won the DFB Pokal as well as the DFL Supercup with Schalke, where he started out as a youth player, back in 2009. Matip has a total of 181 appearances in the Bundesliga (as on Feb. 15, 2016) with ten goals to his kitty.
He also has a good amount of UEFA Champions League experience.
"His [Matip's] decision [of joining Liverpool] is nothing against Schalke. He wants to try something new," Schalke sporting director, Horst Heldt said. "We have held extensive discussions with both the player and his agent since May. It became clear very quickly that certain decisive factors meant we would not be able to influence his decision."
Matip has become the second signing for Jurgen Klopp as a Liverpool manager. The German coach signed Marko Grujic in the January transfer window this year.
