Goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga has left Liverpool to rejoin Brazilian club Fluminense after four and a half years there.
When Pitaluga joined Liverpool as a 17-year-old in 2020, he had high expectations.
But a series of disappointing loan spells have stalled his progress and he is now heading back to Fluminense, where Liverpool originally signed the goalkeeper in a deal worth up to £1.8m.
Manchester United have agreed to send Pitaluga back to the Brazilian Serie A side for free on a permanent deal.
There is no transfer fee, but Brazilian media outlets, including O Globo, have reported that Liverpool will apply a 40% sell-on clause that will entitle him to a future transfer fee later in his career.
Why are Liverpool releasing Marcelo Pitaluga?
When Pitaluga arrived, Caoimhin Kelleher had not yet developed into the player we are used to seeing.
Adrian has been at the club, but Liverpool were looking for a long-term option who could develop into a quality goalkeeper, and the young Brazilian arrived partly on the recommendation of Alisson.
Pitaluga, who was looking for playing time, moved to Macclesfield for the 2022/23 season and suffered an ankle ligament injury.
However, he impressed as he made 26 appearances in all competitions for the then-8th tier side, winning the Northern Premier League Division One West.
Next up is a loan deal with St Patrick’s Athletic starting in January 2024.
This trip to Ireland did not go as planned. He struggled to make the team and returned to Liverpool early after making just seven appearances.
His loan to Livingston in the first half of this season followed a similar pattern. Pitaluga have never featured in the Scottish Championship and only twice in the Scottish Challenge Cup, a knock-out competition for teams outside the top tier.
Despite all the difficulties during his loan spell, Pitaluga trained regularly with Liverpool’s first team and was benched seven times under Jurgen Klopp.
According to The Athletic’s James Pearce, Pitaluga “jumped at the chance to rejoin Fluminense” after Vitezslav Jaros and Harvey Davies fell out of favor with Arne Slot above him.
Good luck with your future, Marcelo!
