French defender Mamadou Sakho has finally completed his move to Crystal Palace.
The Eagles made a last-ditch move on deadline day and the terms were accepted by Liverpool.
It is believed that the fee for Sakho is in the region of £26 million and his wage at the South London side will be a club-record package.
Ex-loanee returns
Sakho enjoyed a fruitful loan spell with Palace in the second half of last season. The Eagles were in the relegation places upon his arrival at the end of January but he was key in their late push for survival and their eventual 14th-placed finish.
The former Paris Saint Germain captain played just eight times for the Eagles before an injury against Tottenham Hotspur kept him out for the final four games of the season. Despite this, Sakho was nominated for the club’s annual Player of the Year award, although it was eventually won by Wilfried Zaha.
Sakho earned himself a cult hero status in his eight games at Selhurst Park for his no-nonsense performances and eccentric style. Palace’s defensive record drastically improved with the 27-year-old at centre-back alongside James Tomkins or Scott Dann.
The two clubs have been trying to agree a fee all summer but were too far apart in their respective valuations until a bid was accepted this afternoon.
Surplus to requirements at Anfield
Sakho had found himself out of favour at Liverpool following an alleged confrontation with manager Jurgen Klopp. The defender had not featured since the end of the 2015-16 season and missed both the Europa League final and Euro 2016 due to use of a banned substance.
However, UEFA overturned the ban and Sakho was allowed to play again from the beginning of last season although found himself behind Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip, Ragnar Klavan and even Lucas Leiva in the centre-back positions.