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Liverpool's defensive targets have yet to be secured, but reports in both England and Spain suggest that they're on the verge of their first this evening. Both Marca and the Mirror's Ed Maylon are reporting that the convoluted loan deal for Atletico's Javier Manquillo is set to go through, giving Liverpool the player on a two-year basis with an option to buy him for a fee of around €6m once the loan deal is up. Atletico will have a buy-back option, though it's contingent on them being in the Champions League at the time of purchase.
So that's all clear, then.
It's still a move that doesn't make a whole lot of sense considering Atletico's apparent desire to see him develop, as Glen Johnson looks set to remain as first-choice for Brendan Rodgers in the season to come and Jon Flanagan will provide capable back-up. If the status of neither changes, Manquillo would appear to enter as third-choice, a role that guarantees neither playing time nor development.
It's very possible that by winter he's beaten out both Johnson (assuming he's around at that point, which all signs point to) and Flanagan, though, and as a move to anticipate the former's departure from Liverpool next season it works. But there's also all sorts of ways this could go wrong--Liverpool could develop him as Johnson's successor only to wave goodbye in the summer of 2016, Atletico could bank on his return only to fall out of the Champions League places by the time they could welcome him back, and Manquillo might not get the development he or his parent club were hoping for.
Or it turns out terrifically well for two of the three parties involved, and we'll just hope those parties are Javier Manquillo and Liverpool.
