Liverpool wanted to sign Denis Zakaria instead of Arthur Melo from Juventus | OneFootball

Liverpool wanted to sign Denis Zakaria instead of Arthur Melo from Juventus on deadline day, according to a report from Calciomercato.

It is said that the Reds had asked the Old Lady about the possibility of signing the Switzerland international but Chelsea managed to secure a loan deal for him.

And after missing out on the 25-year-old, the Merseyside club opted to seal a move for Melo. They reportedly have the option to make the transfer permanent next summer for a  £32.4 million fee.

German boss Jurgen Klopp is currently dealing with an injury crisis in midfield, with Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all sidelined.

That could be a big reason they have made a very poor start to the new season, suffering three draws and losing a match against Manchester United to be six points behind league leaders Arsenal.

Melo is also a top midfielder

Liverpool missed out on Denis Zakaria but they have also landed a top midfielder in the form of the Brazil international.

Melo boasts plenty of experience at the top level of football, having played at Barcelona and Juventus.

The 26-year-old can be deployed as a deep-lying playmaker, central midfielder and a box-to-box midfielder. He is highly rated for his passing, dribbling and movement.

Injury issues limited his involvement to only 20 appearances in the Serie A last season but he was impressive in the matches that he played for the Old Lady. He averaged 34.9 passes and 2.2 long balls per game in the Italian top-flight last campaign, boasting 89.7 percent pass success rate.

The midfielder was an unused substitute in the Reds goalless draw at Everton last weekend. However, he could be featured when Jurgen Klopp’s side begin their Champions League campaign on Wednesday against Napoli.