Iraola Hunts a Bargain Fix for Liverpool's Festering Right-Back Problem

Andoni Iraola has identified Andrei Rațiu as the low-cost solution to the right-back problem that quietly undermined Liverpool's last two seasons, with the new head coach eyeing a raid on his former club Rayo Vallecano.

The plan is financially conditional. Liverpool want around €35 million for Curtis Jones, and only if they extract that full fee from Inter Milan will the money flow towards a defender. Right now, those talks have stalled.

Iraola turns to Rațiu to end Liverpool's right-back curse

Liverpool have not properly replaced Trent Alexander-Arnold since he left for Real Madrid in June 2025. Rațiu, the 28-year-old Romania international, is the latest name offered up as the answer.

His profile fits the manager. Pace, stamina and relentless running suit both the Premier League's tempo and Iraola's emphasis on pressing and sprinting on and off the ball.

A chain of failed solutions

The right-back slot is arguably the single biggest issue Arne Slot failed to fix across his two years at Anfield. The list of attempted patches tells the story.

• Jeremie Frimpong arrived from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee in excess of £40m, but his defensive limitations saw Slot drop him to the bench.
• Academy product Conor Bradley impressed as a deputy before a season-ending knee injury ended his run.
• With Joe Gomez also sidelined, Slot was forced to improvise.

That improvisation carried a hidden cost. Slot ended up playing Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back in turn, dragging two of his best midfielders out of position.

The knock-on damage to the midfield

Jones was reported to be unhappy filling in out of position. Szoboszlai was eventually shifted back into midfield where he was more effective, leaving the right-back puzzle unsolved.

Rațiu, a late bloomer who broke through at Huesca in 2021 before joining Rayo, was one of the standout performers as the Madrid club reached the UEFA Conference League final, losing to Crystal Palace. For Iraola, signing a player he knows intimately removes much of the guesswork.

Why the Curtis Jones-Inter standoff holds the key

The entire plan rests on one outgoing deal. Iraola is building his squad on the expectation that he loses Curtis Jones this summer, and the proceeds are earmarked for a defender.

Jones is 25 and his contract expires next summer, which is precisely why Liverpool want to cash in now rather than risk losing him for nothing in 2027.

A €10m valuation gap

Liverpool's demands sit at around €35 million, in line with Jones's market value. Inter Milan, who have been in talks for several weeks, are only willing to put forward a package worth around €25 million.

• Liverpool asking price: €35m
• Inter's offer: €25m
• Jones market value: €35m

According to multiple reports, there is no agreement between the clubs at this stage, and Inter's conduct in negotiations has left Liverpool 'annoyed' over the perceived low offers.

The self-funding maths

If Liverpool hold firm and bank their full asking price, the Rațiu move becomes straightforward. Like every LaLiga player, Rațiu is governed by Spanish employment law and carries a release clause, reported to be worth around €25 million.

That sits only modestly above his €18 million market value. Liverpool may even hope to negotiate a fee below the buyout figure, in which case the Jones sale would comfortably cover the incoming defender with change to spare.

A LaLiga blueprint: smart business or short-term fix?

The Iraola era is taking clear shape, and its outline is unmistakably Spanish. The new head coach, who left Bournemouth after a successful three-year stint to sign at Anfield until 2028, has already completed a €40 million move for Victor Muñoz from Osasuna.

Rațiu would be a second raid on the LaLiga market, and he may not be the last. Real Sociedad's Takefusa Kubo is also said to be on Liverpool's shortlist, confirming a coherent, value-driven recruitment pattern.

The case for the strategy

There is a clear logic here. Iraola is buying players whose qualities he knows, at prices the Premier League's wealthiest clubs often ignore, and recycling outgoing fees into incoming reinforcements.

Liverpool may view it as a sound investment if they can even negotiate a fee lower than his buyout.

It is the kind of disciplined, self-funding squad reshape that defined Iraola's Bournemouth work.

The reasons for scepticism

But there is a flip side. Rațiu is 28, which makes him a stopgap rather than a marquee long-term answer at a position Liverpool have failed to nail down for a year.

The risk is obvious. By chasing the cheapest available fix again, Liverpool could simply recycle the same right-back uncertainty that hampered Slot, only with a different name. And the whole plan depends on winning a staring contest with a reluctant Inter that, so far, they are not winning.

What happens next

The Jones negotiation is the domino that has to fall first. Until Liverpool and Inter close the €10 million gap, the Rațiu move stays theoretical, and Liverpool's window risks stalling.

Expect the picture to clarify quickly. Inter must decide whether to meet Liverpool's valuation before the player's contract situation weakens Liverpool's hand, while Anfield will be wary of selling Jones before a replacement defender is secured.

If both pieces fall into place, Iraola will have addressed Liverpool's most stubborn weakness on a budget. If they do not, he begins his reign with the same hole that defined the end of the Slot era still wide open.