11 April 2023 , 08:31
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Arthur Melo will not return to Liverpool after the end of his disastrous loan spell at Anfield.
The midfielder moved to Merseyside in the summer transfer window ahead of this season as Jurgen Klopp looked to boost his options in that department. But he has made just one first-team appearance since his arrival at the Reds, a 13-minute cameo in the defeat to Napoli in the Champions League group stages.
He has been ruled out for a long stretch of the season after undergoing surgery, but even when fit, Klopp has opted against playing the Brazilian. And with Liverpool now putting their full focus on a summer revamp, Arthur does not appear to be part of their plans.
The Reds will not activate the £32.8million clause in the loan agreement. They have already paid Juventus £4m to bring him in on loan and have decided against spending any further money on the Brazilian.
A return to Italy is now becoming increasingly likely, with Juve then set to attempt to find a new club for him in the summer. It has been another season to forget for the midfielder, who also saw his 2021/2022 campaign ruined by injury.
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While he has now recovered from the serious thigh injury he suffered in October, his dire campaign has seen his transfer value plunge. That is expected to lead to Juve exploring the loan market for him, rather than selling him.
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Arthur Melo has endured a dreadful loan spell at Liverpool (PA)Arthur's high wages and lengthy contract means that he is virtually 'unsellable' and will be a 'burden' for the Serie A giants. Given his deal still has two years to run, a mutual termination of his contract appears to be 'non-viable'.
Former England star Paul Robinson blasted the decision to sign Arthur back in November, with the loan move having already appeared to be a failure by that point. Robinson took aim at the Reds' recruitment team for the last-ditch signing of the Brazilian.
“Liverpool’s recruitment team have not covered themselves in glory with that one. Listen, you cannot always predict injuries but Arthur’s record is not great," Robinson told Football Insider.
“Arthur is a top player but I do not think he is going to get the opportunity to prove that at Liverpool. It looks like a last-minute signing right now. You would have to say it has been a huge failure thus far.”
The midfielder's agent recently leapt to his client's defence though, insisting he had been unlucky. Federico Pastorello pointed to Arthur's lack of playing time in recent seasons as contributing to his injury troubles.
"He was unlucky: he arrived on the last day of the transfer market, he paid off for the season where he played little at Juventus, he was integrating and had a boring injury," he told TuttoMercatoWeb last month.
"So he had to operate. It was three months of injury, he was on his second bench, I hope he can at least give his contribution. I think he'll come back from loan and then we'll see what to do."