Krisztian Nemeth is set to join Olympiakos next week, after the Greek giants agreed a €1.5m fee with Liverpool for the young striker’s services.
The 21-year-old has agreed terms on a three-year deal, and is expected to finalise the move on Monday, following the completion of a medical. The Greek club announced on their official website that an agreement had been reached.
Nemeth spent last season on loan with AEK Athens, and had been courted by Olympiakos’ fierce rivals Panathinaikos, as well as numerous others across Europe, but the player’s agent, Tibor Pataky, has revealed that the Hungarian will be moving to Piraeus.
“It seems Krisztian will sign at Olympiakos on Monday”said Pataky, “But it is not complete yet, though every paper is, I think.
“It is a very big story in Greece because he was at AEK last year, and now the two big rival Panathinaikos and Olympiakos are in a competition for him. And still there are teams from Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal interested.”
Nemeth joined Liverpool from MTK Hungaria in the summer of 2007, and impressed for the Reds’ reserve team in his first season. His goals helped them to the Premier League Reserves title in 2008, and earned him the Player of the Season award.
However, despite shining for Hungary at youth and U20 level, the Gyor-born forward found it tough to break into former manager Rafael Benitez’s plans. A loan move to Blackpool was scuppered when he sustained a fractured cheek bone in his first game for the Seasiders, and Nemeth eventually ended up heading for Athens with AEK last season.
He scored 3 times in 18 appearances for the Greeks last term, and in May was rewarded with a first call-up to the senior Hungarian squad, for a friendly with Germany in Budapest.
But with Benitez gone, and Roy Hodgson looking to reshape his squad, Liverpool have taken the option to cash in on their young asset.
Nemeth was not included in any of the Reds’ pre-season fixtures, with the likes of Lauri Dalla Valle, David Amoo and Nathan Eccleston drafted in from the youth and reserve teams ahead of him and, with the player setting his sights on a place in the Hungary squad for the upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers, a move to Olympiakos – where he will link up with former Anfield team-mate Albert Riera – looks to be in the best interests of all parties.
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