Crystal Palace seal Mamadou Sakho from Liverpool

Crystal Palace have completed the signing of Mamadou Sakho from Liverpool on a permanent deal.

The 27-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan with the Eagles but the prospect of a full-time switch initially looked unlikely as the Reds were demanding £30m for the defender.

In recent days the two parties were thought to have settled on a fee of around £26m, however, and now Sakho has put pen to paper on a four-year deal with Frank de Boer's side.

"I am really happy to be here because I have some friends here," Sakho told the Palace website. "I loved the challenge last year; it was difficult but beautiful and it's why this summer I thought that Palace was the best choice.

"I am really excited about playing for the Palace fans again, but in football the past is the past and you need to think about today and tomorrow.

"Last year we did a good job and we need to prove that again and have a good objective. If we put all of our power together, we will have a great season."

The Frenchman joined Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain in 2013 and went on to make 80 appearances, but had not played for the Reds since the Merseyside derby in April 2016.