Arthur Melo’s Agent Shoots Down January Departure Talk

When Liverpool made a last-second move to sign Arthur Melo on loan from Juventus at the end of the summer transfer window in August, nobody really expected the Brazilian midfielder to make a huge impact. Liverpool were dealing with a growing list of injuries in midfield, and a stopgap move for Arthur was seen as a bandaid after failing to secure their preferred target, Aurélien Tchouaméni.

LFC were probably not expecting to feature Arthur heavily, but both the club and the player must be disappointed with how the first few months of his loan have played out. He’s made the first-team bench just four times, with a single appearance as a substitute before suffering a serious muscle injury in October that required surgery.

He is now nearing a return from that injury, but there have apparently been whispers that he may wish to cut the loan short and return to Juventus. Arthur’s agent, Federico Pastorello, has been quick to shoot down any such rumours though. Speaking with Tuttomercatoweb recently (quotes translated by Football-Italia), Pastorello emphatically insisted there was no chance that Arthur would leave Anfield in January.

“He will 100 percent remain at Liverpool in January. That was never up for debate and I don’t know who suggested he could return to Turin, but that is absolutely not the case and nobody has ever discussed it,” said the agent.

He also admitted that Arthur would be interested in extending his Liverpool stay, especially if Massimiliano Allegri stays on as manager at Juventus.

“As for what happens when this season ends, we’ll see,” said Pastorello. “There isn’t a proper option to buy for Liverpool, but obviously, if Allegri remains at Juventus then we’ll have to find a different solution.

“Should Liverpool, therefore, offer to renew the loan or make an offer, I think it would go well.”

It’s hard to see the Reds looking to hold on to the midfielder unless he unexpectedly becomes a key contributor over the second half of the season. All the rumours seem to point towards Liverpool preparing to spend big for a midfield overhaul in the summer, and that probably means they’ll also clear out some of the fringe midfield options, including Arthur.