Liverpool close to signing Arthur Melo on loan from Juventus as midfielder prepares for UK flight

According to Gianluca di Marzio (h/t Fabrizio Romano), Liverpool are closing in on a surprise loan move for Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo.

The Brazil international managed just 958 minutes of Serie A action last season and is clearly not a regular fixture in Max Allegri’s starting XI. That raises the question if this was a knee-jerk reaction to Jordan Henderson’s latest injury.

Manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed yesterday that the England international suffered a hamstring issue in the 2-1 win against Newcastle United. And shortly after, news broke of the Reds being interested in Melo.

Romano adds that there is a full agreement on salary but there is no option to buy the player at the end of the season. It seems we have made the stop-gap signing that we needed to before launching ourselves at Jude Bellingham in 2023.

Wise move?

The speed at which this move is taking place would undoubtedly send a wave of relief throughout the Liverpool fanbase. However, there is the question of whether the Reds could have signed a more accomplished player.

Melo is talented but he has not fulfilled the promise he showed during his time at Barcelona. He has fallen down the pecking order at the Allianz Stadium and perhaps sees our injury situation as an opportunity to get some minutes this season.

With the FIFA World Cup in November, a place in the Brazil national team is up for grabs as well. Romano also shared a video of the Juventus star apparently getting ready to fly off to the UK to complete his move to LFC.

This move could turn out to be a smart move as Klopp doesn’t seem to be risking an injury crisis derailing our whole season like it did in the 2020/21 campaign. The 26-year-old Brazilian is not immune from fitness issues or injuries, but he is an extra pair of legs in midfield – something we desperately need.

More Liverpool News:

• Transfer News: Liverpool join the race to sign Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge
• Liverpool Transfer News: Jurgen Klopp admits to losing out on a midfielder this summer
• Romano: Liverpool are looking at multiple midfielders besides Konrad Laimer

If fans understand that this is a short-term measure rather than long-term planning, the potential transfer of Arthur to Anfield makes a lot of sense.