Liverpool Reportedly Interested in Lorenzo Melgarejo on Loan from Benfica

Early in Liverpool's tour of Asia and Australia, Ian Ayre asserted that being so far away from home would have no bearing on the club's ability to make progress in the transfer market. On the outside looking in it's easy to say the managing director was doing little other than paying lip service to concerned supporters, with Pepe Reina's loan to Napoli the only bit of business confirmed while the club was away, but reports over the last few days suggest that they've very nearly completed a loan deal for young Benfica left-back Lorenzo Melgarejo.

The bulk of the legwork would have had to be completed over the course of the past two weeks if reports about a medical being booked are to be believed, and while it's not the type of signing that's going to blow anyone away, it's at least some sort of business getting done as the calendar turns to August.

A few weeks ago talk of a similar deal for Aly Cissokho surfaced, and with Melgarejo it appears to be the same--loan with a view to a permanent deal for a left-back who can challenge Jose Enrique and provide badly-needed depth at a position that's been worryingly thin for years. Melgarejo only has one season of experience in the role, however, as Jorge Jesus only just converted him at the start of the 2012-2013 season. He'd spent the previous season on loan at Pacos Ferreira, leading the side from northern Portugal with ten goals.

Those following English football saw him a few times in the Europa league, as he faced both Newcastle in both legs of the quarterfinals and Chelsea in the final. Known for his pace, he'd come with the knowledge that there's going to be some growing pains as he continues the transition from winger to fullback, though there could be some benefit to having adaptable cover up and down the left similar to what some had hope for Christian Atsu.

We'll see where it goes from here, but for now there's the requisite every-touch compilation as part of his welcome to Liverpool/Ajax/nowhere.

Video by LFCTikiTaka