Barcelona defender Ronaldo, next to a Liverpool badge
Barcelona defender Ronaldo, next to a Liverpool badge
Liverpool owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), appear to be making a bit of a gamble when it comes to the impending acquisition of Ronald Araujo, who is nearing a loan move from Barcelona.
The Reds spent more than £400m on transfers last summer, forking out huge fees for the likes of Alexander Isak from Newcastle United and Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.
Sizeable sums were also accepted for Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, and Hugo Ekitike – with the Frenchman arguably their best purchase ahead of the 2025/26 season.
As Andoni Iraola prepares for his first campaign in charge at Anfield, the Merseyside outfit have only brought in defender Jeremy Jacquet and winger Victor Munoz for under £90m – which by their lofty standards is low.
On the flip side, Ibrahima Konate, Andy Robertson, and Mohamed Salah all left the club. Ergo, if Liverpool try to sign replacements, they have sizeable shoes to fill.
But so far, many Reds fans would question if that has been done, with others criticising the lack of proactivity from owners FSG.
Some of that naysaying may have been quietened by the impending loan signing of Barcelona centre-back Araujo, with Liverpool having a £47m option to buy the 27-year-old next summer.
Liverpool won’t sign another right-back
However, with Conor Bradley out until the New Year with a knee injury, in addition to the right-back being a bit injury-prone, some Liverpool supporters want more strength in depth there.
But according to Fabrizio Romano, that is not going to happen at this stage.
He said on his YouTube channel, “For those who were asking me, Ronald Araujo is a centre-back, will they sign also a right-back?
“My understanding is that Liverpool, at least as of today, then let’s see in the next weeks, I never close doors to things in general, because knowing the market, things can always change.
“But as of today, Liverpool see Ronaldo Araujo as a centre-back, of course, but eventually also as a right-back when needed. Obviously defensive, but also right-back. And so I don’t expect Liverpool to add anything else in that position, at least as of now.”
Centre-back Giovanni Leoni is still out with the anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered last summer and Jacquet is yet to appear in pre-season after suffering “discomfort” in training earlier this month.
Joe Gomez also has a muscle injury, so Araujo’s mooted arrival is greatly needed. However, if these injuries persist, it may be a gamble by FSG not to sign another defender, even if the Barca man can cover much of their defence.
Frimpong is their first-choice right-back at the moment but his defending can be questionable. Whether their risk-taking pays off remains to be seen.
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