NATHANIEL Clyne is expected to be confirmed as a Liverpool player by the end of tomorrow, after completing a medical at Anfield.

The right-back is leaving Saints to join the Reds in a deal that is believed to be worth up to £12.5m, and he was on Merseyside yesterday finalising the move.

Clyne is expected to sign a five-year contract with Liverpool, with the transfer likely to be officially announced no later than the end of play on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old will become the first departure from St Mary's this summer, with the club reluctantly agreeing to sell him.

Saints had attempted to keep Clyne, having been in contract negotiations with him and his representatives for a number of months, offering a bumper new package that is believed to have gone the limits of what they could justify within their wage structure.

However, it became apparent that the England international, who only had one year left on his deal, did not want to commit his future to them in the face of temptation from elsewhere.

Manchester United had considered Clyne, but that interest never translated into a bid for him, with Liverpool the only club who came forward with an offer.

Initially, they submitted a proposal that was worth only as much as a potential £10m.

That was swiftly rejected by Saints, who felt the amount was far too low to consider for someone of Clyne's ability and age.

Liverpool, who will compete alongside Saints in the Europa League this season, then returned with an improved bid, believed to be £10.5m with a further £2m in add-ons.

While the board at St Mary's would ideally have wanted nearer £15m, their bargaining position was restricted by the defender's contract situation, and the bid was enough to persuade them to accept.

Clyne follows Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren to Anfield, with that trio having made the switch from St Mary's last summer, meaning Liverpool's spending on Saints players will now pass the £60m mark in the past year.

With Clyne's future having been uncertain for some time, the club have been well prepared for this eventuality and have already signed 23-year-old Portugal international Cedric Soares, from Sporting Lisbon, in a deal the Portuguese club say could be worth up to £4.6m.