Liverpool are admirers of a marquee new defender, but they aren’t the only club who like him in the Premier League, according to a new report that has emerged.
Liverpool facing depth crisis at centre-back
The Reds have Virgil Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez, Jarell Quansah and Joel Matip as their natural centre-back’s in the building as it stands, but the club have recently suffered a huge blow regarding the fitness of the latter. Last week, Matip was confirmed to have sustained a serious ACL injury, which means that he has been ruled out for the remainder of the season, so with Jurgen Klopp losing his stalwart and Quansah still so young, FSG should be eyeing replacements during the upcoming transfer window.
Barcelona‘s Ronald Araujo has been highlighted as a potential candidate, with the 24-year-old having worked his way up through his club’s youth ranks to become a regular feature of their first-team, making 127 senior appearances in total to date (Transfermarkt – Araujo statistics).
Liverpool are watching Barca star Araujo
According to 90min, Liverpool are interested in Araujo, but they are likely to find it difficult to prise him away from Barcelona and the Camp Nou in the coming weeks.
“Bayern Munich are interested in signing Uruguay centre-back Ronald Araujo, who would like to stay at Barcelona but has doubts over his place in the side in the long-term, sources have confirmed to 90min. Several clubs are keeping an eye on Araujo amid this uncertainty. Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle United are all fans of his, but it is not expected that Barcelona will sanction an exit anytime soon.”
In La Liga this season, Araujo has provided a real physical presence at the heart of Barcelona’s backline. He’s currently averaging 2.5 aerial wins and 1.6 clearances per game, highlighting the impact he can make both on and off the ground (WhoScored – Araujo statistics).
Standing at 6 foot 2, Rivera’s native also has the versatility to operate at left-back, right-back and higher up as a defensive midfielder alongside his usual role at centre-back, so he would be a great player to bring into the building considering the cover that he could provide in various other positions outside of his own. He would even offer Klopp the chance to switch to three at the back if required, although that is not a system we have seen the German coach utilise often.
Araujo’s Positions Played | Number Of Appearances (Data via Transfermarkt) |
|---|---|
Centre-Back | 177 |
Right-Back | 20 |
Defensive Midfield | 4 |
Left-Back | 1 |
According to football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Araujo even gives off “prime Van Dijk vibes”, referring to the season in which the Dutchman landed second on the Ballon d’Or podium, and with the winning mentality and leadership that he will possess having won three pieces of silverware since the start of his career, this is a no-brainer of a deal to complete if the opportunity were to present itself in the coming weeks.
