Liverpool v Chelsea - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
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Few people had expected Ronald Araujo to hit the ground running in such spectacular fashion at Liverpool after his loan arrival from Barcelona in August.
Some supporters even met the Uruguayan’s signing with something approaching fury, questioning why, if Araujo was not good enough for Barca, he was the right man to bolster Liverpool’s wavering defence.
If those fans have not changed their mind by now, then the truth is that they never will. Araujo has been sensational at right-back and centre-back, making himself a legitimate candidate to be signed permanently next summer. Liverpool have a £47m option to buy Araujo, which had initially been seen as an unlikely scenario.
However, as the Daily Mail now report, the Reds have come around to the possibility of signing the 27-year-old on a permanent basis.
What were your thoughts on some Liverpool fans booing Jordan Henderson? Is that the way to treat a club legend? 🤔
Don’t get it really, needless. It’s not like he moved from Liverpool to Chelsea either. It’s the end of his career, just let the guy go out in peace😅
Deserved and completely unsurprising. Even if you take away the way he left, he’s playing for Chelsea. Doesn’t matter how long you were at the club before.
Ridiculous. He didn’t even do anything to irate home fans
Liverpool could buy Araujo if his good form continues
The main argument against Liverpool buying Araujo has always been his age. The Uruguay international will be 28 next March and it feels unlikely that the Reds would spend close to £50m on a player approaching his 30s.
Nevertheless, the Mail claim that there is the chance that Liverpool could negotiate the fee. While paying £47m will trigger the clause without negotiation, it is reportedly not set in stone, with the Reds able to haggle with Barcelona.
Whether they decide to do that or not will reportedly depend on Araujo’s form. Should he continue to impress, it is claimed that Liverpool are definitely ‘open’ to getting the deal done.
Andoni Iraola has spoken positively about Araujo on a number of occasions already, and with Joe Gomez likely to leave on a free transfer, the No. 33 could be a ready-made, low risk replacement. If he keeps this up for the remainder of the season, it may even be that £47m ends up looking like a bargain.
The carrot has certainly been dangled for Araujo, and if he keeps his place in the XI for the full season, there will be a strong case that Liverpool simply have no choice but to bring him fully on board.