Liverpool signed Uruguay centre-back Ronald Araujo on a season-long loan from Barcelona on Monday, with the deal including an option to buy.
The 27-year-old joined Barcelona from Uruguayan club Boston River in 2018 and can also operate at right-back. He has made more than 200 appearances for Barcelona, winning three La Liga titles and two Copa del Rey trophies.
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“I can’t wait to get started. I’m very, very happy,” Araujo, who will wear No.33, told Liverpoolfc.com. “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.”
Araujo was appointed Barcelona captain in January but made just 11 La Liga starts last season as the Catalan giants won their 29th Spanish league title.
His playing time was limited under Hansi Flick, with Gerard Martin and Pau Cubarsi becoming preferred options in central defence. Araujo was also granted a leave of absence in December to prioritise his mental health before returning to training in January.
Liverpool moved for Araujo following Ibrahima Konate’s departure to Real Madrid on a free transfer. Joe Gomez, Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni are also recovering from injuries, leaving Virgil van Dijk as the club’s only fully fit senior centre-back.
Jacquet, who joined from Rennes in a £60million deal, has yet to feature in pre-season because of a minor knee issue but is expected to return against Como on Sunday.
Araujo has already joined his new teammates in training as Liverpool continue their preparations for the 2026-27 season. The Reds begin their Premier League campaign away to Newcastle United on August 23.
Ronald Araujo’s Fantasy Premier League price has been revealed, with the Liverpool defender valued at £5.5million for FPL managers. The rest of Liverpool’s player prices for the 2026-27 Fantasy Premier League season have also been revealed.
Goalkeepers: Alisson Becker – £5.5m Giorgi Mamardashvili – £5.0m Harvey Davies – £4.0m Vitezslav Jaros – £4.0m Armin Pecsi – £4.0m Freddie Woodman – £4.0m.
Defenders: Virgil van Dijk – £6.5m Jeremie Frimpong – £5.5m Milos Kerkez – £5.5m Conor Bradley – £5.0m Joe Gomez – £5.0m Jeremy Jacquet – £5.0m Kostas Tsimikas – £5.0m Giovanni Leoni – £4.0m Wellity Lucky – £4.0m Calvin Ramsay – £4.0m.
Midfielders: Florian Wirtz – £7.5m Cody Gakpo – £7.0m Dominik Szoboszlai – £7.0m Victor Munoz – £6.5m Ryan Gravenberch – £6.0m Rio Ngumoha – £6.0m Federico Chiesa – £5.5m Harvey Elliott – £5.5m Curtis Jones – £5.5m Alexis Mac Allister – £5.5m Stefan Bajcetic – £5.0m Wataru Endo – £5.0m Lewis Koumas – £5.0m Trey Nyoni – £5.0m James McConnell – £4.5m.
Forwards: Jayden Danns – £4.5m Hugo Ekitike – £7.5m Alexander Isak – £9.0m.