Sebastian Coates completes move to Liverpool

Published Aug. 30, 2011 11:34 p.m. ET

foxsports

Liverpool confirmed the signing of Uruguay defender Sebastian Coates from Nacional de Montevideo on Tuesday.

Nacional had already told The Associated Press that it will receive around $11.5 million from Liverpool for the 20-year-old center back.

Coates will link up with fellow Uruguayan Luis Suarez, who had earlier broken the news of Coates' move on his Facebook page.

Suarez wrote: ''I want to welcome Coates, partner in the uruguayan team, friend and great player who just signed for Liverpool! WELCOME!''

And Coates said Suarez had played a key part in persuading him to go to Anfield.

''Luis told me a lot about Liverpool,'' Coates said on the Liverpool website. ''But about the fans more than anything else. He told me how passionate they are about the club and how supportive they are.''

Coates, along with Suarez, was part of the Uruguay team that won the Copa America in July and was named the tournament's best young player. He is renowned for his ability in the air.

''I want to win as much as I can in a Liverpool shirt and that means the league title and any cup competitions we take part in,'' Coates said. ''We have to set our sights high.''