How Arthur loan helps Liverpool with Bellingham pursuit

James Shearman

2 Sept 2022 16:38 BST
3 min read

Jude Bellingham, Dortmund, 2021/22 — © ProShots

Liverpool announced the signing of Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo on a season-long loan deal on deadline day.

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It is understood that the Reds will pay the majority of Arthur's wages, as well as a £4 million fee.

Liverpool have been plagued with injury issues in midfield with the likes of Thiago, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain suffering some problems.

That’s forced them to rely on some of their younger players, including Fabio Carvalho and Harvey Elliott. So Arthur has arrived to give them additional strength in depth.

The Brazilian has been at Juventus since 2020 when he joined from Barcelona as part of the deal that saw Miralem Pjanic go the other way, but he hasn’t impressed much in that time.

His inconsistent performances over the years forced the Bianconeri to reinvest elsewhere in the transfer window, most notably bringing Paul Pogba back to the club earlier in the summer.

Although, a ball progressor with the ability to both find passes and drive forward, he could fit Jurgen Klopp's system well.

How Arthur loan helps Liverpool with Bellingham pursuit

Widespread reports suggest that Liverpool want to go all out for Jude Bellingham next summer.

The 19-year-old has excelled in his time in Germany, but will realise that Borussia Dortmund isn't the place to compete for major honours.

Bellingham never became available in this window though, so Liverpool will have to wait until the end of the season to try again.

Arthur Melo is leaving Juventus to join Liverpool ✈️#DeadlineDay #LFC pic.twitter.com/tLYsoTjyAS
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) September 1, 2022

And there will be plenty of suitors for one the game's up-and-coming stars, meaning the transfer fee and wages needed to win the race could be enormous.

This makes the Reds' deal for Arthur all the more sensible, as instead of panic buying on deadline day, they opted to save their money.

The more cost-effective approach this time around could allow the Merseyside club to lay out upwards of £100m on Bellingham next summer.