**Liverpool are moving quickly to secure Andoni Iraola’s second summer signing, with an ‘imminent’ £21m bid readied to wrap up a shock La Liga defensive deal.**
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 already kicked off their summer business with the signing of Victor Munoz from Osasuna, but the squad reshaping under new head coach Andoni Iraola is only just getting started.
This is shaping up to be a defining window for sporting director Richard Hughes. After facing plenty of criticism following last year’s activity, Hughes now has a real chance to shift the narrative but there’s a staggering amount of work to be done.
With a new manager comes an entirely new tactical philosophy, and that means Liverpool’s squad needs a reshape. Iraola will want players who seamlessly suit his high-pressing, high-intensity system, but the squad simply needs major strengthening across the board.
Well, it looks like Liverpool are making moves already to fix it, targeting a player who will be intimately familiar to Iraola:A[ndrei Ra?iu](https://www.sportsboom.com/football/transfer-news-rumours/exclusive-andoni-iraola-targets-andrei-raiu-as-liverpool-prepare-30m-move-for-romanias-former-footballer-of-the-year/)
The Romanian international grew up in Spain, came through Villarreal’s academy, and ended up moving to Rayo Vallecano in the exact same summer Iraola departed the Spanish side for Bournemouth. Since then, he has thoroughly impressed, becoming a regular fixture in La Liga and starring during Rayo’s impressive run to the UEFA Conference League final.
He is a right-back blessed with blistering speed, comfort on the ball, and a relentless desire to make overlapping runs. With his directness and athletic profile, he makes immense sense for how Iraola wants his full-backs to play. At 28 years old, he also provides a much-needed injection of elite-level experience to a backline currently lacking it.
Things appear to be moving swiftly. [Reports indicate](https://www.sportsboom.com/football/transfer-news-rumours/exclusive-andoni-iraola-targets-andrei-raiu-as-liverpool-prepare-30m-move-for-romanias-former-footballer-of-the-year/) that the Reds are rapidly advancing in their efforts to sign the Romanian international, and Richard Hughes is now ready to launch an official bid very soon to secure Iraola’s second major La Liga raid of the summer.
On paper, Liverpool don’t look like a side crying out for midfield reinforcements. But that picture changes quickly once you factor in the growing uncertainty around a few key players. Curtis Jones is reportedly open to a move after expressing frustration with being played out of position last season, while Alexis Mac Allister is said to be actively considering his options elsewhere. Furthermore, Wataru Endo’s long-term role in the side is far from guaranteed.
Add that to the fact that Liverpool still haven’t truly replaced the defensive structural security of Fabinho, and it becomes clear there’s work to do. The problem Hughes faces is that the market for traditional holding midfielders is incredibly thin. Fewer teams use a classic No.6 these days, as the role itself has evolved into something far more mobile and complex.
Following Trent Alexander-Arnold’s high-profile departure to Real Madrid last summer, finding a long-term successor has proven a massive headache.
Arne Slot brought in Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen, but the Dutchman’s defensive limitations became glaringly evident, leading to him being dropped.
While academy graduate Conor Bradley deputised superbly, a season-ending knee injury threw the position into chaos, forcing midfield players to awkwardly fill the void. With uncertainty still hovering over Frimpong’s suitability and Bradley’s return from major injury remaining an unknown, change feels inevitable.