Liverpool are closing in on the signing of Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo, with the player not travelling with Hansi Flick's squad for their pre-season clash against Nottingham Forest this evening.
Loan deal agreed with option to buy
The Reds have agreed a loan deal with the La Liga giants for the Uruguay international. The agreement includes a reported £47.2m option-to-buy, and Araujo will travel for a medical tomorrow.
Liverpool will cover the full cost of the player's wages during his time at Anfield, but there is no obligation to buy if the deal doesn't work out. The buy-option will have a deadline sometime next summer, though the exact date is unknown at this point.
Player given green light to leave
The 27-year-old held a meeting with Barcelona boss Hansi Flick before joining Liverpool, with the player given the green light to leave.
Araujo's arrival will address two key areas for Andoni Iraola, as the Uruguayan is capable of playing in the heart of defence and at right-back.
Defensive crisis at Anfield
Jeremy Jacquet, Giovanni Leoni, and Joe Gomez are all suffering from varying injury problems, with Virgil Van Dijk the only fit centre-half available ahead of the start of the season. At right-back, Conor Bradley is recovering from a long-term injury, while Jeremie Frimpong has struggled with injury problems since his move to Anfield.
Forward line also targeted
The Reds are also looking to strengthen their forward line, having held talks with PSG about a potential move for Bradley Barcola. At present, the two sides are some way apart in their valuation for the young French winger, but remain in talks. The Ligue 1 side are understood to want a fee in the region of £145m for Barcola this summer, while Liverpool reportedly want a much cheaper fee.
