Liverpool has signed Uruguay defender Ronald Araujo from Spanish champion Barcelona on a season-long loan, the Premier League club announced on Monday, as it moved to strengthen an injury-ravaged defence.
British media reported that the deal includes an option to buy the 27-year-old for about 47 million Pounds ($63.48 million).
Araujo arrives at a time when Liverpool is facing mounting defensive problems.
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Joe Gomez suffered a muscle injury in the club’s opening pre-season match, while teenage centre-back Giovanni Leoni is recovering from an ACL injury.
Young centre-back Jeremy Jacquet is also nursing an injury, leaving captain Virgil van Dijk, 35, as Liverpool’s only fully fit senior central defender. Liverpool’s shortage of fit centre-backs had been a key factor behind the move.
“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,” Araujo said in a statement.
Published on Aug 10, 2026