Javier Mascherano has signed a four-year contract to stay with Liverpool on a permanent basis.
Argentine agrees four-year contract at Anfield
Javier Mascherano has signed a four-year contract to stay with Liverpool on a permanent basis.
The Argentine midfielder originally moved to Anfield over 12 months ago on loan following a brief stint at West Ham United.
Liverpool have been involved in protracted negotiations to secure Mascherano on a permanent deal, with the likes of Juventus and Barcelona rumoured to be waiting in the wings.
An agreement has now been finalised and the 23-year-old expressed his delight at committing his future to Rafa Benitez's side.
Biggest moment
"I am very, very happy and now I can concentrate just on playing football," Mascherano told the club's
official website.
"I said all along that I wanted to stay at Liverpool and now that I have signed I can say this is the best and the biggest moment in my career so far.
"From the first day I arrived at Liverpool the feeling was good and I knew this was where I wanted to play my football. It's good news for me and my family that everything is sorted and I know where my future is going to be. I just want to do my best for the fans and the people of the club.
"I am at a top side and I know I can win titles here. That's the big thing for me. I want to be at a club where we can win trophies and have success."
Liverpool boss Benitez was equally pleased to have concluded a deal for the holding midfielder, who has made 40 appearances for the club.
Key player
Benitez said: "We must be really pleased with the situation now. He has been a key player for us since he has been here and now we know he can be a key player in our future.
"From the start we knew Javier was a player with quality and a fantastic mentality. We knew the player when he was in the reserves at River Plate, but was playing for the senior national team and we had been monitoring his career since then.
"He is young, but he has great experience having played for his country. We knew he would be a good signing for us.
"It's clear that he is one of the best midfielders in the world, but he can get better with us. We now have a lot of good options in the centre of midfield and that's good news for the club."
