Liverpool are on the verge of signing Zenit St Petersburg defender Martin Skrtel.

The Slovakia international was due to have a medical on Monday having arrived on Merseyside on Sunday evening, hours after Liverpool had been embarrassingly held 1-1 at Luton in the FA Cup third round.

Chief executive Rick Parry was in Russia at the weekend concluding negotiations for Skrtel, who is likely to cost the Reds £6.5 million.