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In a deal rumoured to be worth around £40m, Liverpool were able to secure their first summer transfer with the acquisition of Brazilian midfielder Fabinho on Monday evening.

The 24-year-old, who as spent the last five years in Ligue 1 playing for AS Monaco, will join the reds on a long-term contract at the start of July, bolstering a Liverpool midfield which has struggled with strength in depth for a number of years.

There had been some talk of Manchester United making a swoop for the Brazilian, but instead he has chosen to ply his trade in the red half of Merseyside.

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Fabinho has impressed during his time in France and there is certainly no doubting his quality, yet there is a lingering issue that many rival fans have been quick to point out. He has not been selected for this year's World Cup squad.

In contrast Manchester United's other transfer target, Shakhtar Donetsk's Fred, has.

United have been strongly linked to Fabinho's compatriot for a number of months and the Red Devils will be hoping that they can push through the transfer in the coming months.

Despite the fact that Fabinho has been playing at an arguably higher level in France compared to Ukraine, some United fans have already taken to Twitter to lambast Liverpool's latest transfer dealing due to his omission from the Brazilian squad.

Some United fans may be jumping the  gun slightly, especially considering the fact that Fred is yet to even don a Manchester United jersey. If his does get completed however, there could be a very interesting midfield battle in the works between the old rivals.