Liverpool have taken their summer spending over £100 million by outmaneuvering Chelsea and agreeing a deal for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The England midfielder was undergoing a Liverpool medical at the national squad’s training base at St George’s Park on Wednesday night ahead of a £35m move to Anfield. He earlier rejected the chance to join the Premier League champions.

His move to Merseyside will end a Liverpool chase for his signature which began six years ago, when Oxlade-Chamberlain was still at Southampton.

Liverpool’s ex-captain Steven Gerrard and vice-captain Jamie Carragher met Oxlade-Chamberlain and his father Mark at Melwood in 2011 in an effort to convince him to move north. Instead, he chose Arsenal, who he joined for £15m that summer.

Now Jurgen Klopp’s scouting team has been aided by glowing references from Liverpool’s current senior players, skipper Jordan Henderson and midfielder Adam Lallana among those who urged their club manager to bring their international team-mate to Anfield. Both have testified to Oxlade-Chamberlain’s quality and the dynamism he can bring to Klopp’s side.

Klopp also recalls how impressive Oxlade-Chamberlain was for Arsenal against his Borussia Dortmund team in the 2014 Champions League.