Liverpool see highly-rated young Benfica right-back Daniel Banjaqui as a top target moving forward, as the Reds look to add more quality in that position.
The Merseysiders have solved their right-back issue thanks to Ronald Araujo’s performances in recent weeks, with the on-loan Barcelona man making Andoni Iraola’s side more solid, helping them keep clean sheets in a row in the Premier League.
Significant doubts remain over Jeremie Frimpong’s long-term worth for Liverpool, with Gary Neville over him and Milos Kerkez’s worth as full-backs:
“I think they’re leaving Andoni Iraola well short. I know Andoni Iraola looks like a gentleman, you see him in the interviews, but if I was him I’d be going in there and I’d be demanding something in the next 48 hours. Because it will cost him. Liverpool will concede a lot of goals if those two play at full-back in a normal, traditional back four with that midfield.”
According to Anfield Watch, Banjaqui is considered one of the “top-right back targets for the future” for Liverpool, but the “minimum amount of money that the Liga Portugal outfit would be looking for to allow him to leave is €50m.”
It is claimed that Arsenal “had a €30m bid (€15m upfront and €15m in add-ons)” for the teenager turned down during the summer transfer window, showing that he is a wanted man.
Daniel Banjaqui can be a great long-term option for Liverpool
Banjaqui wouldn’t be joining Liverpool as an immediate starter, considering he is still only 18, with Araujo a potential permanent signing next summer, and Conor Bradley hopefully returning the same player after a lengthy injury absence.
He has been capped by Portugal across five different youth age groups, including winning three caps for the Under-21s, and Rodrigo Maghalaes has lauded him, saying:
“At that age there are players who end up standing out among their teammates. The club has to know how to wait for the player and find the framework suited to the young footballer’s ability, helping to make it happen. He made the most of every opportunity he was given.”
Right-back is a situation that Liverpool have to sort, both in the short and long-term, and Banjaqui would be proof that the club are planning for the future, having been called “one of the best teenage right-backs in world football” by scout Jacek Kulig.
It has been an unsteady position since Trent Alexander-Arnold left, not helped by Bradley’s injury-prone nature, and while Araujo is excelling, he isn’t a natural in the role.
Liverpool could eventually do with a right-back who is offering genuine width and attacking thrust, providing overlapping support for the wingers, and Banjaqui could end up being that player over time.
With all due respect to Frimpong, selling him in January or next summer feels like the right decision, even though his blistering pace can be an asset at times.
The Dutchman looks limited in his all-round game, and the physicality of the Premier League has looked too much for him since he joined from Bayer Leverkusen, and a return to the Bundesliga or another league could be best for his development.