Liverpool have completed the signing of Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo on a season-long loan deal. The Reds are not obligated to make the deal permanent but can sign the Uruguay international outright for £47m should he impress at Anfield.
Deal details and wages
Liverpool will pay the player's wages in full for the duration of his stay in England, but it's understood Araujo has taken a pay cut to facilitate the move. The Reds aren't paying a loan fee for the campaign ahead, and club officials are satisfied he is up to speed fitness-wise, having taken part in Barca's pre-season schedule.
Why Liverpool moved for Araujo
Liverpool decided to enter the market after Joe Gomez pulled up just eight minutes into the pre-season tour of the United States last month, against Sunderland in Nashville. Gomez is expected to be sidelined until the end of August at minimum. New £60m signing Jeremy Jacquet is yet to kick a ball for the Reds and hasn't played since a season-ending shoulder injury at Rennes in February.
With teenage defender Ifenayi Ndukwe ineligible this season due to work-permit issues, sporting director Richard Hughes and head coach Andoni Iraola explored options before landing on Araujo, who has fallen out of favour at Barca. The 27-year-old can also play as a right-back, key given Conor Bradley remains someway off a return from a serious knee injury suffered in January. With Giovanni Leoni also weeks away from a comeback after an ACL injury, Araujo could make his Liverpool debut at Newcastle United on August 23. He might feature against Como in one of two back-to-back friendlies.
Araujo's Barca career and leadership
Araujo has spent the last eight years at Barcelona, joining from Uruguayan side Boston River. Liverpool factored in his leadership qualities, having seen him appointed Barca skipper in January. The Reds have been criticised for a lack of leaders following high-profile exits, and the addition of the centre-half goes some way towards redressing that balance.
The defender has played more than 200 times for Barca but fell down the pecking order under Hansi Flick, who recently informed him he was free to explore options elsewhere. Speaking over the weekend, Flick said: "I think Ronald is a great guy and a fantastic player. I think our style of play, that we want to play, is a little bit different. He's a player that has a lot of speed, he's physical and very strong and also with the ball he's quite good. We couldn't include him like I wanted and also I think he wants to make something new. You know it more than me because in the past, something has happened, so this affected him. I saw him this morning and I said goodbye and I think he was very happy and Liverpool is also a fantastic club. I wish him all the best because he deserves it. He's a fantastic guy and fantastic player and was a great captain."
Background and other transfer activity
Araujo was heavily criticised online after a red card in Barcelona's 3-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League in November. He subsequently took a break for mental health reasons before returning in January. He becomes Liverpool's third signing of the summer after Jeremy Jacquet (£60m from Rennes) and Victor Munoz (£34.5m from Osasuna).
Liverpool remain in negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain for Bradley Barcola, valued at £140m by the Champions League holders. Such a fee would make the France international the most expensive player of all time on Merseyside. The Reds are keen to bring the asking price down for a player with two years left on his deal in Paris and keen to move to Anfield. PSG completed the signing of Monaco's Maghnes Alikouche last week and are expected to sign Ajax's Mika Godts, which could lead to a softening on their stance over Barcola.
