Liverpool Agree Deal For Benfica Defender Melgarejo - Report

Liverpool have agreed a deal with Benfica for Lorenzo Melgarejo that will see the defender join the club on a season long loan deal with an option for a permanent deal next summer, Portuguese reports suggest.

The Reds will now discuss personal terms with the 22-year-old, a process that should be completed swiftly according to Abola, as Brendan Rodgers seeks to bolster his defence with cover at left back for Jose Enrique.

Reports on Monday emerged suggesting Liverpool had made enquiries into the availability of Melgarjo, who has made one appearance for the senior Paraguayan national side. Other than his first choice option of Enrique, Rodgers only has 19-year-old Jack Robinson as cover on the left side of his defence, an issue the Liverpool manager addressed last week.

Melgarejo was brought to Europe from Independiente in 2011 before he was sent out on a season long loan to Portuguese outfit Pacos de Ferreira, where he excelled in a left wing position as he struck 10 goals in his first season in Portugal, finishing the campaign as the club's top scorer.

Despite his exploits on the wing, Benfica manager Jorge Jesus opted to convert the 22-year-old to a left back where he was considered first choice for the 2012/13 campaign, featuring in Benfica's Europa League final defeat to Chelsea.

Having already added Simon Mignolet, Kolo Toure, Iago Aspas and Luis Alberto to his ranks, Rodgers has indicated that he still has plans to make further additions before the closure of the transfer window, with a left back high on his priority list.

"There are obviously certain areas of the squad where we are a bit thinner that others, Rodgers said last week. "We probably need a bit more support - that extra bit of quality - at the top end of the field and that's something we'll look out for.

"That'll be mixed with needing cover in the left back position - that's something we're looking at. It's not really about numbers, it's about quality."

"If we can do that over the next number of weeks we'll be happy."