Coventry City keeper Chris Kirkland has today signed for Liverpool for a reported fee of £9 million.

The fee represents a British record transfer fee for a goalkeeper, beating the £6m that Arsenal paid for Ipswich goalie Richard Wright in the summer.

The England U-21 goalie has twice been linked with the Merseyside giants before but this time Gerard Houllier has made a concrete swoop.

Liverpool were due to sign Feyenoord’s Jurzey Dudek but turned to Kirkland after that deal fell through.

Bryan Richardson has issued the following statement:

“Very reluctantly Coventry City have agreed to accept an offer from Liverpool FC for our 20 year-old goalkeeper Chris Kirkland.

“The offer, which breaks the British transfer fee record for a goalkeeper, was accepted as a consequence of relegation from the FA Premier League.

“The immediate loss through relegation is in excess of £15 million to Coventry City – a fact which only highlights the ridiculous divide between the Premier League and First Division in financial terms.

“Chris Kirkland has come all the way through our youth/academy system and it is particularly sad that we are compelled to sell someone in this way, but financial circumstances have forced this action.

“We all wish Chris huge success at Liverpool and for England.”

Coventry must now hope that Swede Magnus Hedman can be persuaded to stay at the club after chairman Bryan Richardson denied that he would let both keepers leave.

A number of clubs including Liverpool's Merseyside rivals Everton have been chasing Hedman in recent weeks.