Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp makes final decision on £33m transfer

Liverpool boss Klopp claims Brentford's third goal should not have stood

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Jurgen Klopp has made a final decision on loanee Arthur Melo as Liverpool’s midfield worries rumble on. The Reds hold a £33million option to sign the Juventus star permanently once his temporary stint expires in July, as the need for upgrades becomes more transparent by the week.

Liverpool’s deadline-day swoop for Arthur was met with questioning and uncertainty from the club’s own fans and outside observers.

It didn’t have the makings of the well-thought-out transfer strategy the Anfield giants have thrived off over Jurgen Klopp’s successful reign.

For the first time in a long time, Arthur’s arrival screamed a panic shunt to address a glaring issue that needed fixing after the failed pursuit of Aurelien Tchouameni.

His time in England has gone even worse than many imagined. The 26-year-old has managed just 13 minutes in the 4-1 defeat at Napoli since completing his switch from Juve.

As a result, Arthur’s days at Liverpool are unsurprisingly numbered.

According to GOAL, Klopp is expected to opt against triggering the £33m buy-out clause in his loan contract, and he will return to the Serie A giants.

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Liverpool’s midfield used to be the engine room to Klopp’s relentless winning machine on Merseyside, with Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum operating as a perfectly balanced unit.

But those days are gone, and it hasn’t quite been the same since Wijnaldum joined Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent in the summer of 2021.

The Reds have signed one midfielder since 2018 – then-29-year-old Thiago on a free transfer from Bayern Munich in 2020 – and ageing issues are growing increasingly problematic.

Thiago is now 31, Henderson is 32, and it was James Milner’s 37th birthday yesterday. Fabinho is younger at 29 but has struggled to maintain form and fitness this term.

Curtis Jones’ Liverpool career has stalled through injury woes of his own, and Harvey Elliott is struggling to adapt to a midfield role, despite featuring in all 26 games this season.

Meanwhile, Milner looks set to join Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita out the exit door once the trio’s contracts expire this summer.

And the departures will only intensify the need for midfield reinforcements in Klopp’s squad.

Jude Bellingham is No 1 on the German boss’ wishlist. But a failure to move in January could very easily result in the Champions League evading Liverpool next term.

Such an outcome would all but take them out of the Bellingham race, with Manchester City and Real Madrid among his most realistic suitors.

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