Skip to content

Liverpool address midfield crisis with loan signing of Juventus' Arthur

Andrew Powell / Liverpool FC / Getty

Jurgen Klopp urged Liverpool's owners to take a "risk" when trying to strengthen his side's injury-hit midfield near the end of the transfer window.

Instead, the club opted for a low-risk loan deal for Juventus outcast Arthur Melo.

The 26-year-old joined the Reds on a season-long deal one hour before the transfer window shut Thursday. Liverpool paid €4.5 million to take Arthur for the rest of the 2022-23 campaign and have an option to buy him outright for €37.5 million.

The Brazilian will immediately challenge Harvey Elliott, Fabinho, Curtis Jones, and James Milner for a place in Klopp's three-man midfield while Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Thiago Alcantara deal with injuries.

Arthur made 42 Serie A appearances and played 13 times in the Champions League for Juventus over two seasons. He was involved in a lucrative and controversial swap for Miralem Pjanic in his 2020 move from Barcelona to Juve.

He started his career with Gremio and has 22 caps for his country.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox