Liverpool sign Araujo on loan from Barcelona
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Liverpool have signed Uruguay centre-back Ronald Araujo on a season-long loan from Barcelona.The deal for the 27-year-old, who joined Barca from Uruguayan club Boston River in 2018 and can also play right-back, includes an option to buy."I'm excited to be here at this massive club with lots of history. I'm excited to meet my team-mates, excited to get started playing, and I'm very motivated and really up for getting going," he said."I think it was the ideal move for me at this stage in my career.
As soon as I heard that interest from Liverpool, everything went into action really, really quickly.Liverpool have been looking to strengthen their defence this summer after France international Ibrahima Konate left the club to join Real Madrid on a free transfer.Araujo has made more than 200 appearances for Barca, winning three La Liga titles and two Copa del Rey trophies, and was given the captaincy in January following the loan departure of goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. He is under contract at the Nou Camp until 2031 but he only made 11 league starts last season as Barca were crowned Spanish champions for the 29th time.Liverpool start their Premier League campaign away at Newcastle United on Sunday, 23 August at 16:30 BST.Araujo found his playing time limited under Barca manager Hansi Flick, who arrived in May 2024, as Spaniards Gerard Martin and Pau Cubarsi became the club's preferred central defensive pairing.In December, he was granted a leave of absence by the club to prioritise his mental health, following his sending off in the Champions League defeat by Chelsea a few weeks earlier.
After spending time with his family in Uruguay, Araujo returned to training at Barca in January, scoring on his first start since his break in the club's Copa del Rey quarter-final win at Albacete a month later. Former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez, Araujo's international team-mate, wrote on X, external he was joining a "great club".