.jpg)
Liverpool’s on-loan midfielder Arthur Melo is set to leave the club in May and return to Juventus, according to a new report.
The Brazilian was signed on deadline day last summer, joining the Reds on a season-long loan from the Serie A giants.
Liverpool paid a £3million loan fee for the 26-year-old while the deal also included an option to buy the player at the end of the current campaign for £33million.
Advert
However, it looks unlikely that Jurgen Klopp’s side will buy Arthur upon the conclusion of his loan spell, with the midfielder having managed just 13 minutes of football for the Merseyside club.
The former Barcelona star sustained a thigh injury at the start of October and was forced to undergo surgery. He has been out ever since and is not expected to be in contention to play for the first team until the end of January.
Arthur to leave in May
According to Neil Jones of Goal, Arthur will not be retained by Jurgen Klopp’s side when his loan expires in May.
Advert
The Brazil international’s departure will also align with the expiry of Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's contracts. In turn, Klopp’s side have much work to do in the winter and summer windows to rejuvenate their midfield options.
The Reds have been strongly linked with Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham, while World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez is also being reported as a target.
Arthur took to Instagram to reflect on 2022, a year he described as the “hardest” of his life.
Advert
He wrote: "2022 the hardest year of my life! A complicated football year, with many injuries, many criticisms that I had to listen silently, without at least having the opportunity to expose the truth, what was really happening, many sleepless nights because of physical pain, many days inside from the hospital, the anguish of waiting for the medical report in hope that it wasn't something that could prevent me from doing what I love most, playing football.
"The year in which I took the most development as a football player to achieve my goals. 2022 was the year I dedicated the most off the field, trained the most, tried the most and was the year I had the most problems on the field.
"A year with a lot of emotional turbulence in my personal life, a year that the more I fought, the more things went off track! And the most important thing... 2022 was the year I grew the most as a person, as a son, as a boyfriend, as a friend, as an athlete!
"I just have to thank for the year 2022, for all the learnings, a difficult year, a difficult phase. But it was a year that taught me a lot of lessons and that I will carry to the next years of my life. Thank you 2022 and bring on 2023! Be Strong, Have Faith."
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Football, Liverpool, Transfers, Juventus, Jurgen Klopp