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Analysis
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'World’s best' or 'Darwin Nunez of centre-backs'? What are Liverpool getting with Araujo?
Updated: 8 Aug 2026 09:45 BST |
5 min read
Analysis
Liverpool stand on the brink of signing Ronald Araujo on loan from Barcelona in a deal that will offer Andoni Iraola much-needed depth at centre-back.
The Reds have been lacking in numbers in the heart of their defence in pre-season but have pushed this move for Araujo through quietly. He will become the Reds’ third new face of the summer, following Victor Munoz and Jeremy Jacquet, in a deal that was actually concluded in January.
The Anfield club have struck a loan agreement with Barcelona that will see Araujo join them for the 2026/27 season, with the possibility of making the deal permanent for an unspecified figure, Mundo Deportivo reports.
Current ETV
Ronald Araujo
D (C)
Barcelona
Ronald Araujo
D (C)
Barcelona
ETV Range
€22.8M - €27.8M
On top of this, the Catalan source confirms that Liverpool will cover Araujo’s €11 million wages over the course of the campaign.
But the 27-year-old is a player who has split opinion. So what exactly are Liverpool getting?
Ronald Araujo: The good and the bad
At his best, Araujo is an elite centre-back. Indeed, such are his defensive talents that former Barcelona head coach Xavi hailed him as “one of the best defenders in the world”.
Forged in Uruguay but sprinkled with a dash of La Masia towards the end of his formative years, the central defender told The Guardian his footballing upbringing was rooted in “commitment, bravery, the desire to help your family”.
This mentality is reflected in Araujo when he’s playing at his best: quick, brave and committed. All are essential attributes for a successful centre-back in the Premier League.
Araujo at his peak produced numerous benchmark performances on the big stage, regularly enjoying the better of battles against Vinicius Junior in El Clasico.
Unfortunately for Barcelona and Araujo himself, these qualities have not been on display as regularly as he might have wished in recent years.
A red card in the Champions League quarter-final of 2024 against PSG marked a turning point in his career. He got caught sleeping by Kylian Mbappe and then fouled the striker, who was clean through on goal.
A combination of injury issues and mental scars has seemed to weigh on the defender since. In December 2025, he was granted leave of absence by Barcelona to take a mental health timeout from the game after being sent off against Chelsea in a Champions League group stage match.
“It was an accumulation of things,” he admitted in an interview with Mundo Deportivo. “It was not just related to sport.”
Despite returning to action six weeks later, his status as a starter was lost and in the second half of the season, he would only play more than 45 minutes on four occasions.
Is Ronald Araujo a good signing for Liverpool?
Anfield Watch’s Bence Bocsak says that he is optimistic that Araujo can be an effective stop-gap signing for Liverpool for the season ahead, but that does not necessarily mean he is in Liverpool’s long-term plans.
“Ronald Araujo is like the Darwin Nunez of centre-backs,” he said. “He’s got everything to be a top defender. On his day, he is unplayable.
“However, he can also be rash, make poor decisions and let emotions impact his performances. He is inconsistent.
“That being said, I don’t expect him to start. He has a lot of experience. And he can play as an right-back as well.
“It’s also just a loan deal. I don’t mind it as a stop gap.
“In 12 months’ time Geovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet will be more than ready hopefully - not to mention Ndiaye and Ndukwe as well.”
With Jarrell Quansah’s buy-back clause coming into force next summer, Liverpool are leaving themselves with a wide array of options, meaning that even if this loan for Araujo does not prove a success, the Reds have covered themselves smartly.
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