Liverpool seem to have taken over Arsenal’s move for Atletico Madrid’s 20-year old right-back Javier Manquillo, reports the Guardian.
The Reds need a backup for Glen Johnson, and Brendan Rodgers has moved in to seal a loan deal for Manquillo.The agreement is also said to contain an option to buy for Liverpool at the end of the season.
Manquillo is rated at around £7 million and was pursued by Arsenal until a week ago before their boss Arsene Wenger seemingly pulled out of the chase.
Should the deal go through, this would be Liverpool’s first defensive deal of the summer, albeit they are also close to signing Dejan Lovren from Southampton.
Rodgers has even bigger plans for the rest of the summer as he wishes to increase his summer spend well beyond £100 million.
French international striker Loic Remy, young Belgian striker Divock Origi are also said to be close to signing for the Reds, and the deals are expected to be wrapped up soon.