21-year-old midfielder Pedro Chirivella has joined Extremadura UD on loan for the remainder of the 2018-19 season.
Chirivella joined the Reds from Valencia in 2013, but despite his undoubted potential, he has been restricted to just five senior appearances, with his first and only Premier League start coming against Swansea City nearly three years ago.
He has been ever-present for Liverpool’s Under-23s team this season but has underwhelmed in the main – scoring once and assisting twice in 14 appearances albeit from a holding midfield role, and his time to break through into the first team is getting shorter by the minute.
Chirivella was expected to have departed on a permanent basis in the summer but despite the club having held talks with Norwegian outfit Rosenborg, he was less convinced by the prospect and decided to turn down the offer. Following these talks, it is clear that Liverpool value the Spaniard at around £3.5 million, whilst a potential buy-back clause suggests they are still unsure how good he could become in the future.
Jurgen Klopp’s midfield, however, is currently stockpiled with talent, following the arrivals of Fabinho and Naby Keita in the summer as well as talks of a deadline move for out of contract PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot, whose future is up in the air despite assertions that he had a pre-contract agreement in place with Barcelona. Chirivella must see this loan move as an opportunity to showcase his talent to potential suitors in the summer.
