Defender Marcelo has signed a new two-year contract at Lyon after turning down the chance to join Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League champions Liverpool, as reported by Maxifoot.
Liverpool’s ongoing pursuit of a new centre-half certainly has dominated the news agenda this week.
Before the reports broke suggesting that RB Leipzig’s France U21 international Ibrahima Konate was closing in on a move to Anfield, Braga boss Carlos Carvahal admitted that the Merseyside giants had tried to sign David Carmo in January.
Liverpool’s reluctance to meet Braga’s £23 million price-tag scuppered Carmo’s hopes of a dream move to England’s North West.
In the case of Marcelo, however, it was the player himself who decided to put the breaks on a mid-season switch.
“Liverpool? My agent spoke with them, but I feel good here,” the experienced Brazilian told Canal Plus in February.
“My dream is to win the championship with Lyon.”
Some five weeks after that eye-catching interview, Marcelo has now put the Liverpool saga behind him for good, extending a contract that was initially due to expire on July 1.
“I have been at Lyon for four years. It is a real pleasure for me to continue the adventure,” said the 33-year-old, who will now be sticking around at the Ligue 1 giants until 2023.
“There is everything to succeed here and to progress. I hope to win a trophy with OL and put my name in the history of this great club.”
With eight games remaining, Lyon are still in the thick of an enthralling title race, sitting just three points off the top despite a potentially damaging 4-2 defeat to rivals Paris Saint-Germain before the international break.
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