Liverpool have announced that 22-year-old goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga has permanently left the club to rejoin Brazilian side Fluminense. The shot-stopper, born in 2002, developed through Fluminense’s youth ranks before making the move to Liverpool in 2020 for €750k (£623k). He quickly became a regular with the Reds’ Under-21s.
While Pitaluga was named on the bench for a few senior games—most recently during the 2-1 Europa League defeat to Union SG in December 2023—he never made a first-team appearance for Liverpool.
The young goalkeeper was loaned out three times to Macclesfield Town, St Pat’s, and Livingston, with his most recent move to the Scottish club in the summer. However, he only featured twice for Livingston.
With Alisson Becker, Caoimhin Kelleher, and Vitezslav Jaros currently blocking his route to the first team, as well as the expected arrival of Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia, Pitaluga has now returned to Fluminense on a free transfer. James Pearce from The Athletic reports that Liverpool have retained a significant 40% sell-on clause.
Liverpool confirmed in a statement:
“Goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga has agreed a permanent transfer from Liverpool to former club Fluminense, subject to international clearance. The Brazilian will part ways with the Reds after more than four years, during which he was named in the senior matchday squad on seven occasions. Everyone at LFC wishes Marcelo all the best for the future.”
