Talks advancing for defender and it's great news for Liverpool

Liverpool are one step closer to a dream signing.

It finally feels like Liverpool's transfer window is coming to life. After weeks of rumours, false starts and deals going nowhere, there's at least a sense that things are beginning to happen behind the scenes. For supporters, though, it's been a painfully long wait.

This was meant to be a huge summer.

A new manager had arrived in Andoni Iraola, several big names had moved on and Liverpool looked like a club that needed to move quickly in the market. Instead, fans have spent most of the window watching other teams get their business done while the Reds have struggled to get going.

Unsurprisingly, that's put Richard Hughes under plenty of pressure.

With reports continuing to link him with a move to Al Hilal, there's a genuine chance this ends up being his last transfer window at Liverpool. If that's the case, what happens over the next few weeks could end up shaping how his spell at Anfield is remembered.

That said, it hasn't all been bad.

Hughes showed last summer that he was willing to back the manager. Liverpool smashed their transfer record more than once and spent heavily to strengthen the squad. The issue was never a lack of ambition or investment. It was making sure that money was spent on the right players.

Recruitment is about much more than bringing in exciting names. It's about putting together a squad that actually makes sense, and that's where Liverpool got it wrong. Some positions ended up packed with options, while others were left desperately short.

As the season wore on, those cracks became impossible to ignore, and in the end Arne Slot was the one who paid the price.

Now it's Andoni Iraola's job to put things right, but he's inherited a squad that probably needs a bigger overhaul than most people expected.

Liverpool have already said goodbye to several experienced players this summer, yet Victor Munoz remains the club's only signing. There's plenty to like about him. He's a hugely talented young player with a high ceiling. But nobody seriously believed one arrival would fix all of Liverpool's problems.

When the transfer window opened, supporters were dreaming of statement signings. Replacing players like Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson was always going to be a massive challenge, but there was a genuine expectation that Liverpool would go all out to replace two club icons. Instead, we're almost into August and those marquee arrivals still haven't happened.

There is finally some reason for optimism, though.

Liverpool appear to be making a real push for Bradley Barcola, who has emerged as one of the club's priority attacking targets. He's exactly the sort of winger this squad has been crying out for -quick, fearless, direct and capable of beating defenders one-on-one. He'd give Iraola's attack a completely different dimension.

Of course, Liverpool don't just need Barcola, they need to reinforce more than just one area/

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 the perfect deal. Especially to sign the ideal right-back/centre-back hybrid.

According to Peter O'Rourke, Chelsea defender Genesis Antwi is in advanced talks to sign for Strasbourg.

Now here's why this is great news for Liverpool.

Antwi is a right-back and he is joining a Strasbourg side with a right-back who is on Liverpool's radar and who has been linked with a move away in Guela Doue.

Antwi feels like a replacement for Doue, and his arrival will likely enable the Ivorian international to move on from the French side.

It's brilliant news for Liverpool, and an opportunity they can't pass up on.

Doue is 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.