Liverpool Targets Andrei Rațiu for Right-Back Reinforcement

Liverpool’s reshaping of their defence is set to continue with an opening bid for Rayo Vallecano right-back Andrei Rațiu, as the club move aggressively to close off what became a glaring weakness last season.

Andoni Iraola, already backed to bring in Victor Munoz from Osasuna, is again looking to La Liga, this time to address the right side of his back line. The plan is clear: turn a problem position into a position of strength.

A new challenger on the right

Liverpool already have Jeremie Frimpong and academy graduate Conor Bradley in the squad, but Rațiu has emerged as a serious target to stiffen competition. At 28, he is no prospect; he is a fully formed defender who has quietly built a formidable reputation in Spain.

Since joining Rayo Vallecano three years ago, Rațiu has made 102 appearances in La Liga and is widely viewed as one of the division’s most underrated performers. His consistency, rather than any social-media-friendly flair, has caught the eye.

SportsBoom report that Frimpong is still expected to remain first-choice next season. Iraola, though, wants a genuine, close rival for that starting role, someone he trusts to step straight into Premier League intensity. Rațiu, in his view, fits that profile. What that would mean for Bradley’s minutes is, at this stage, unclear.

On the international stage, Rațiu brings weight as well as experience. He has 38 caps for Romania, has previously been named Romanian Footballer of the Year, and played a central role in Rayo’s run to the UEFA Conference League final earlier this year, where they fell to Crystal Palace. That European campaign hardened his case as a defender ready for a bigger platform.

Vallecano hold the cards – for now

Iraola is said to see Rațiu as one of the market’s smarter value plays: a player in his prime, battle-tested in a top league, and capable of logging regular minutes across a long season.

Vallecano, though, are in no rush to sell. The Spanish club are expected to demand around £25 million for the right-back and are described as being in a strong position to stick to that valuation. Rațiu signed a new long-term contract in November 2025, tying him to the club for another four years, which gives Rayo significant leverage.

Liverpool, undeterred, are understood to be confident they can find a way through. The proposed offer is likely to lean on performance-related add-ons and incentives, a structure designed to tempt Vallecano without immediately hitting their ideal headline figure.

Fixing last season’s fault line

The urgency is rooted in recent pain. Liverpool’s right side unravelled last season after Trent Alexander-Arnold departed for Real Madrid at the end of his contract. Arne Slot inherited a structural problem and then watched injuries to both Frimpong and Bradley strip away the specialist options.

What followed underlined the depth of the issue. Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai were both pushed into makeshift right-back roles. It solved one problem and created another, weakening Liverpool’s midfield just as their campaign began to slip away.

That experience has sharpened priorities. In his first summer at Anfield, Iraola is understood to have made the right-back position a key focus, determined not to be forced into square-peg solutions again.

Jacquet and Leoni boost defensive overhaul

Rațiu would not arrive in isolation. Liverpool’s defensive rebuild is already in motion.

The club will confirm another summer signing next week when Jeremy Jacquet completes his £55 million switch to Merseyside. The French defender agreed to leave Rennes on deadline day of the winter window, with all parties deciding he would finish the season in Ligue 1 before crossing to the Premier League.

Jacquet suffered a serious shoulder injury shortly after his impending move became public, but his recovery is said to be on schedule. The Athletic reports that his rehabilitation is progressing as planned and that he is expected to be available for initial pre-season testing early next month.

There is further encouragement at centre-back. Giovanni Leoni, 19, is also on track to return for the start of pre-season after tearing the ACL in his left knee on his debut against Southampton in the Carabao Cup last September. He has not played since, but his comeback would add another young option to a defensive unit being reshaped on the fly.

Liverpool’s recruitment drive is gathering pace. If they can now prise Rațiu from Vallecano, Iraola will head into his first campaign at Anfield with a very different-looking back line – and far fewer excuses if that right flank falters again.