Liverpool are closing in on the signing of Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo
Liverpool are closing in on a deal to sign Ronald Araujo from Barcelona.
Liverpool are closing in on a deal to sign Ronald Araujo from Barcelona.(Image: (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images))
View 2 Images
Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has not travelled with Hansi Flick's squad to face Nottingham Forest in their pre-season clash this evening ahead of a move to Liverpool.
The Reds have agreed a loan deal with the La Liga giants for the Uruguay international.
Andoni Iraola's side have agreed a reported £47.2m option-to-buy the defender, who will travel for a medical tomorrow.
Liverpool will cover the full cost of the players wages during his time at Anfield, but will have no obligation to buy the defender if the deal doesn't work out.
The buy-option will have a deadline for some time next summer, with the exact date unknown as this point. The 27-year-old held a meeting with Barca boss, Flick, before joining Liverpool, giving the player the green light to leave.
Araujo's arrival will address two key areas for Iraola, with the Uruguayan able to play in the heart of defence and at right-back.
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.
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 be wanting a fee in the region of £145m for Barcola this summer, while Liverpool reportedly want a much cheaper fee.
FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook page