Liverpool FC

Ings joins Southampton in £20m deadline day move

Danny Ings has sealed a £20 million transfer to Southampton.

Liverpool striker Ings joined the South Coast club on Thursday as part of an initial season-long loan with the deal to become permanent on July 1, 2019.

The 26-year-old struggled for regular first-team football at Anfield due to a series of injury problems following his 2015 arrival from Burnley.

His last appearance for the Reds came as a second-half substitute in a 3-1 win over Torino as part of their final pre-season preparations on Tuesday.

Jurgen Klopp paid a glowing tribute to the departing forward as he aims to reboot his career after three years on Merseyside.

He said: “It is a very strange feeling saying goodbye to Danny. The biggest emotion is how much we will miss him.

“He is such an outstanding boy. Honestly, if you could bottle character and spirit, his would sell worldwide – he is so incredibly positive and full of energy.

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“But we won’t just miss his character because he is a footballer who has all the tools.

“What is clear is that in his time here he had zero luck really, certainly in my time.

“Before joining I tried to watch as many games on tape as I could from the season so far and Danny Ings stood out as someone I was really looking forward to coaching.

“We all know his story and the bad luck he has had since then.

“It’s why the other emotion is that of being pleased for Danny that he has such a good move and his future is now very bright.”