Liverpool have completed the signing of Barcelona defender Ronald Araújo on a season-long loan.
Sources have told ESPN that the deal includes an option for Liverpool to make the move permanent next summer for around €55 million. Liverpool will cover his wages for the duration of the campaign, however the defender has taken a pay cut to facilitate the move.
Araújo, 27, is looking to kick start his career at Anfield after falling out of favour at Barça over the last two years, while The Reds’ new head coach, Andoni Iraola, has been in the market for a defender to help bolster his back line, with Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni and Jérémy Jacquet working their way back from injury.
Due to a variety of reasons, the Uruguay international was limited to just 16 starts in all competitions last season with Pau Cubarsí, Eric García and Gerard Martín among the centre-backs preferred ahead of him.
He will wear the No. 33 shirt for Liverpool this season.
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“I can’t wait to get started. I’m very, very happy,” he told Liverpool’s club media.
“I’m excited to be here at this massive club with lots of history. I’m excited to meet my teammates, excited to get started playing, and I’m very motivated and really up for getting going.
“I think it was the ideal move for me at this stage in my career. I think it was a move that was necessary for me to take. As soon as I heard that interest from Liverpool, everything went into action really, really quickly.
“As I say, I’m super-happy to be here and excited to get started. I’m glad about the interest and it was the right move at the right time.”
Araújo will complement those options already available to Iraola, which also includes captain Virgil van Dijk, following the departure of Ibrahima Konaté on a free transfer to Real Madrid at the end of last term.
The 6-foot-3 defender can also cover at right-back — and was occasionally deployed there by Barça to combat Vinícius Júnior in the Clásico against Madrid — where Liverpool are still without the injured Conor Bradley.
After joining Barça’s reserve team in a low-cost deal from Uruguayan side Boston River in 2018, Araújo has gone on to make 213 first-team appearances for Barcelona.
Alongside Andreas Christensen, he played a key role at the heart of the defence when Barça won the LaLiga title in 2022-23 under Xavi Hernández and became part of the leadership group at the club.
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However, form, injuries and mental health problems have seen him lose his place since Flick was appointed in 2024.
A hamstring injury ruled him out for four months at the start of the 2024-25 campaign and he took two months out last season after suffering from anxiety and depression for over a year.
He has been capped 27 times by Uruguay and was part of Marcelo Bielsa’s squad at this summer’s World Cup, although he did not make a single appearance as La Celeste crashed out in the group stage.
