Liverpool one step closer to dream signing as agreement reached

Liverpool are one step closer to a dream signing.

It finally feels like Liverpool's transfer window is starting to wake up. After weeks of rumours, setbacks and not much actual progress, there are at least signs that things are beginning to move behind the scenes. For supporters, though, it's been a long and frustrating wait.

This was supposed to be one of the biggest summers in recent memory.

Liverpool had a new manager in Andoni Iraola, several key players had left and everyone expected the club to attack the market early. Instead, fans have watched rival clubs strengthen while the Reds have largely stood still.

That has inevitably put Richard Hughes under the spotlight.

With reports continuing to link him with a move to Al Hilal, this could end up being Hughes' final transfer window at Liverpool. If it is, the next few weeks will probably define how his time at Anfield is remembered.

It's not as though everything Hughes has done deserves criticism.

Last summer he wasn't afraid to spend. Liverpool broke transfer records and invested heavily in the squad, showing a level of ambition supporters had been asking for. The problem wasn't the amount of money that was spent, it was how it was spent.

Recruitment is about more than signing exciting players. It's about building a balanced squad, and Liverpool never quite managed that. Some areas became overloaded while others were left looking worryingly thin.

Those flaws became more obvious as the season went on and, in the end, Arne Slot paid the price with his job.

Now it's Iraola's turn to rebuild, but he has inherited a squad that arguably needs even more work than people first realised.

Liverpool have already lost several experienced players this summer and, despite that, only Victor Munoz has arrived. There's no doubt Munoz is an exciting talent and a player with plenty of potential, but one signing was never going to be enough for a squad that still has obvious weaknesses across the pitch.

When the window first opened, supporters dreamed of blockbuster arrivals. Replacing players like Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson was never going to be easy, but there was a feeling Liverpool would go big to replace two club legends. Instead, we're almost into August and those replacements are still nowhere to be seen.

There is finally some encouraging news, though.

Liverpool appear to be pushing hard to sign Bradley Barcola, who has emerged as one of the club's leading attacking targets. He has the pace, directness and one-on-one ability that this squad has been missing, and he'd certainly add another dimension to Iraola's attack.

But even if Barcola signs tomorrow, Liverpool's work will be far from finished.

The squad still needs strengthening in several positions. Right-back remains unresolved, the midfield still lacks a natural holding player and centre-back has become a genuine concern.

Right now, Liverpool's only fit central defenders are teenagers Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe. Both are hugely talented prospects, but expecting two 18-year-olds with virtually no senior experience to carry the defence across a full season would be asking far too much.

The good news is that Liverpool finally seem to be moving.

The bad news is that they have left themselves with plenty to do.

If Hughes wants to end his spell at Anfield on a high and give Iraola the tools he needs to succeed, this transfer window has to finish much more strongly than it started.

And it's looking likely that Liverpool are getting closer to completing some dream deals. Especially to sign the ideal right-back/centre-back hybrid.

According to Ben Jacobs, Club Brugge have reached an agreement to sign centre-back Lee-Han Beom. Now the South Korean was actually linked to Liverpool earlier this summer.

However, this is interesting because Lee-Han's arrival actually puts Liverpool one step closer to signing another target in Joel Ordonez.

The Colombian will surely be able to leave the Belgian side given Lee-Han is a direct replacement. Ordonez meanwhile is the dream transfer for Liverpool.

He's young, can play both as a right-back and as a centre-back. It would be the perfect deal, and Liverpool are one step closer to making it happen.