Why the Ronald Araujo deal makes sense for both Liverpool and Barcelona

Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo is due to fly to Liverpool on Sunday to complete a move to the Premier League club.

The 27-year-old Uruguay international centre-back is expected to join on a season-long loan deal that also includes Liverpool having a €55million (£47.1m; $63.6m) option to buy him.

Andrew Jones, Gregg Evans and Laia Cervello Herrero analyse this imminent transfer.

Does signing Araujo make sense for Liverpool?

Last month, Liverpool's new head coach Andoni Iraola described his defensive options as "very thin", so the need to recruit in that area of the pitch was clear.

Their problems at centre-back have been laid bare during pre-season.

Joe Gomez went off injured after seven minutes in the first game of their U.S. tour and will now miss the start of the season, while Giovanni Leoni's rehabilitation continues after the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injury he suffered on his Liverpool debut last September. New signing Jeremy Jacquet has yet to play in pre-season as he deals with a minor fitness issue.

Youngsters Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye, both 18, along with left-back Luke Chambers, 22, were heavily relied on during the two-week, three-match trip to the United States.

Araujo's looming arrival will ease concerns about who will be partnering Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk in the first game of the new Premier League season, where they take on Newcastle United at St James' Park on Sunday, August 23.

The 27-year-old provides an experienced option who has played at the top level. That will give Jacquet and Leoni time to adapt to the demands of English football, with less reliance on them in the short term.

Araujo will then provide cover if, as Liverpool hope, 21-year-old Jacquet establishes himself as first-choice alongside Van Dijk. The Uruguayan can also stand in at right-back, which is another problem area for Iraola, with Conor Bradley still out and Jeremie Frimpong his only fit, senior option at present.

This loan looks to be a sensible short-term solution and could turn into a longer-term arrangement if things go well and Liverpool decide to exercise the option to buy it includes -- as things stand, Van Dijk and Gomez are both going to be out of contract at the end of the season.

Andrew Jones

Why are Barca happy to let their captain leave?

Manager Hansi Flick told Araujo this week he would not be a key player for him this season. He is one of the team's most experienced players, ended last season as the captain, and, as such, is one of the highest-paid members of the squad.

Barcelona have struggled to register players in recent summers due to financial regulations, given the high standards set by La Liga regarding wage-bill limits.

The Catalans have long been looking to make a major sale to help balance the books. Although this is only a loan with an option to buy, Liverpool will be covering his full salary for the season.

The fact Araujo was not going to be a key player for Flick yet was one of the squad's top earners means moving him on is sensible, and doing so makes it easier for the club to register new signings and enter the final four weeks of the summer transfer window in a stronger position.

However, Barcelona's first team were already short on numbers last season, with a very thin squad which, combined with a high number of injuries during the campaign, meant the few players who remained injury-free were much more fatigued come the final stretch. And many of them also then took part in the World Cup.

Flick said that if no players were leaving, he did not want any more centre-backs signed and was happy with what he had. This is now something that will have to be revisited.

Laia Cervello Herrero

Why did Araujo take a mental-health break last season?

That is not an easy question to answer, as there wasn't just one reason.

Araujo took leave due to anxiety in December, following the match against Chelsea in the Champions League, a 3-0 away defeat in which he was sent off just before half-time for a second yellow card after a hard tackle on Marc Cucurella.

He had been heavily criticised in previous months for a mistake in the second leg of the 2024-25 Champions League semi-final defeat against Inter and, a season earlier, for an error as Barca were knocked out by Paris Saint-Germain in that competition's quarter-finals.

Clearly, this was not the only factor that led the player to make his decision; there were other personal reasons that brought him to this point. The sending-off at Stamford Bridge was simply the final straw, with his family receiving death threats.

This is what Araujo himself explained to The Athletic in an interview just before the World Cup:

"Sometimes things pile up. Not just about football, but things you might have experienced in childhood that build up and cause a lot of problems. I needed help from professionals to have the tools to find myself again."

A month after requesting a leave of absence, he returned to work and made 23 appearances over the second half of the season, though only six were starts.

Laia Cervello Herrero

Will signing Araujo give Iraola the defensive depth he wants?

Araujo would take Liverpool's senior centre-back options to five.

From a numbers perspective, that gives Iraola plenty of depth at that position. Context is key, though, given Gomez's injury history, which has already reared its head, and the inexperience and injury issues Jacquet and Leoni are also dealing with.

The hope will be that, in a few months, all five will be fit and available, and Iraola will have plenty of choice -- or enough cover if injuries continue to strike.

There remains concern at right-back, which was a huge issue last season for Iraola's predecessor Arne Slot.

Bradley's road to recovery continues from the serious knee damage sustained against Arsenal in January. Frimpong has yet to convince in that position since he was signed last summer, having dealt with his own recurring injury problems during his debut season.

It is fair to argue that Liverpool still need to sign a right-back to improve the quality and depth in that position, and avoid having to play midfielders there -- Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones both had spells as makeshift solutions last season.

The club may feel that, with Bradley seen as the long-term answer once he's back, they will have enough options to cover there, with Araujo and Gomez - when he returns from his own injury - also able to operate in that area of the pitch until the 23-year-old Northern Ireland international regains full fitness.

Andrew Jones

Why did Araujo not play at the World Cup?

Araujo was in Uruguay's squad at the World Cup, but injury meant he did not make it onto the pitch, much to the frustration of those around him.

Uruguay could have done with him, as they were one of the big under-performers at the tournament, drawing with Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde before losing to Spain to exit at the end of the group stage.

Their star defender was not included in the matchday squad for those first two fixtures because of a calf issue picked up at the start of June, just as Uruguay finished a pre-tournament training camp in their homeland, and the hope was he would recover in time.

Araujo had specialist treatment back at Barcelona, but the injury escalated during a training session before the Uruguay squad flew to North America.

An unused substitute for the final game against eventual champions Spain, he is now fully recovered, having trained for the past few weeks.

Gregg Evans

Will Liverpool fans be excited about the signing?

The overriding feeling among supporters is relief that Liverpool have acted in the transfer market to address a clear issue with the squad -- but it is also clear they are getting a player who, if he gets back to his best, could be an excellent signing.

If you were told your club was signing Barcelona's club captain, a three-time La Liga and two-time Copa del Rey winner who has made more than 200 appearances for the Spanish giants, twice been named in La Liga's team of the season and is in his prime years at age 27, you would find it hard not to get excited.

Barcelona being happy to allow such a player to leave on loan understandably raises a few questions, however.

There are also some reservations about his consistency, concentration and patchy injury record. Liverpool were never going to find the perfect player to bring in unless they were willing to spend huge money but this deal has the potential to be the ideal solution they have been searching for.

Alongside versatility and leadership, Araujo has several attributes -- he is aerially dominant at 6ft 3in (191cm) and a front-foot type also comfortable defending in the channels -- that suit Iraola's style of football and should translate to the Premier League game.

The structure of the deal makes this feel like a relatively low-risk move that could have a big pay-off, and that is something to be enthusiastic about.

Andrew Jones

What other business do Liverpool still need to do?

This is a positive start to their summer shopping for Liverpool but plenty more is needed, especially in attack.

They are yet to replace the departed Mohamed Salah -- the priority this summer -- and are some way off in the pursuit of Bradley Barcola, with Paris Saint-Germain valuing the France international forward much higher than the price Liverpool have initially suggested they are willing to pay.

Several other wide options are under consideration, and ideally Liverpool could do with signing two of them, even after the arrival of Victor Munoz.

With Hugo Ekitike out injured for the early months of the season, forward-line depth remains thin, so unless Iraola believes he can get a tune out of Federico Chiesa, there is still work to be done.

A midfield addition would also be welcomed, although that doesn't feel like a priority, especially with teenager Trey Nyoni showing promising signs of breaking through this summer.

Gregg Evans

What does this mean for Barcelona's transfer plans?

Araujo's exit reduces the wage bill and provides scope to register new signings.

Barca have been waiting for years for one of their highest-paid players to leave, and this provides the club with some financial breathing space.

However, it also means they will have to sign a centre-back. Although they did not expect Araujo to be vital this season, his departure will certainly be felt in terms of allowing those team-mates who are first-team regulars at his position(s) a rest now and then.

Barca are set to resume their search for a left-sided centre-back, and this move also gives them more leeway for their top priority across the entire summer: a new centre-forward. Their aim is still to sign Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid, a deal that is becoming increasingly complicated, but the club do not see many alternatives to the Argentinian.

Kaynak: The New York Times. Telif hakkı kaynak yayına aittir; buradaki metin özet/atıftır.

Orijinal haber: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7500639/2026/08/08/ronald-araujo-liverpool-barcelona-analysis/