It's on, Liverpool advancing in surprise transfer with offer imminent

Liverpool are advancing to wrap up a surprise transfer with an offer imminent.

Things are starting to heat up in the transfer market, and even with the World Cup still going on, Premier League clubs aren’t hanging around.

Liverpool have kicked things off with the signing of Victor Munoz, while teams like Tottenham and Manchester City are also pushing ahead with some big moves of their own. And Munoz almost certainly won’t be the only deal Liverpool get done this summer.

This is shaping up to be a massive window for Richard Hughes.

After plenty of criticism following last year’s activity, the sporting director now has a real chance to shift the narrative - but there’s no shortage of work to be done.

With a new manager comes a new style, and that means Liverpool’s squad needs reshaping. Andoni Iraola will want players who suit his system, but beyond that, the squad simply needs strengthening across the board.

A number of key players have already moved on too, with Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konaté and Andy Robertson all leaving on free transfers. Replacing that level of quality is a huge job on its own, never mind also adding depth in other areas.

How Liverpool handle this window could go a long way in shaping the club’s next few years. It’s very much about laying the groundwork for long-term success under Hughes and Iraola.

Richard Hughes has a pretty packed to-do list this summer. The big one is replacing Mohamed Salah.

But he also needs to bring in a centre-back and a right-back, and possibly adding more midfield options on top of that. There’s also the chance he may need to find a replacement for Cody Gakpo, depending on how things develop.

And that’s before even getting into the midfield situation properly.

On paper, Liverpool don’t look like a side crying out for midfield reinforcements. But that picture changes once you factor in the uncertainty around a few key players. Curtis Jones is reportedly open to a move, Alexis Mac Allister is said to be considering his options elsewhere, and Wataru Endo’s long-term role is far from guaranteed.

Add that to the fact Liverpool still haven’t truly replaced Fabinho, and it becomes clear there’s work to do in that area. The problem is, the market for traditional holding midfielders is pretty thin these days. Fewer teams use a classic No.6, and the role itself has evolved into something far more mobile and complex than it used to be.

Arguably, though, the most interesting area Liverpool could look to strengthen is right-back. There’s still uncertainty over Jeremie Frimpong’s suitability in that role, while Conor Bradley’s return from injury adds another layer of unknown.

With all that in mind, change feels inevitable in the right-back position.

Well, it looks like Liverpool are making moves already in that right-back area and they are targeting a player who will be familiar to Andoni Iraola.

Andrei Ratiu. He's a Romanian international who grew up in Spain, came through Villareal's academy and then ended up moving to Rayo Vallecano in the same summer Iraola joined Bournemouth from the Spanish side.

Since then Ratiu has impressed become a regular at Rayo. He's a right-back with great speed who is comfortable on the ball and loves to make overlapping runs.

With his speed and directness, he definitely makes a lot of sense for how Iraola wants to play. He is also a bit more of an experienced right-back, being 28-years-old but that is also needed because Liverpool lack experience right now.

Things appear to be moving swiftly for Ratiu as well.

Sports Boom reports that Liverpool are advancing in their efforts to sign the Romanian international and are now ready to make a bid for him very soon.

That's an exciting update. It would be a surprise transfer, similar to the Munoz deal. But it would be a smart move nonetheless.

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