In a recent print edition, Sport claimed that Liverpool are eyeing a move for Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo and could rival Chelsea for him. It is understood that the Reds are serious about recruiting the Uruguayan talent who is set to become a free agent in the summer of 2023.
Araujo’s Decent Form At The Nou Camp This Season
The 22-year-old has established himself as a valuable member of Xavi’s match-day squad and has been responsible for putting in a run of dominant displays at the centre of Barca’s defence. Araujo has been involved in 25 matches for the Catalan giants this season, scoring three goals in the process on all fronts.
The seven-time Uruguay international has given a good account of himself on the defensive third of the pitch by averaging 1.1 tackles, 0.8 interceptions and 1.9 clearances per game in La Liga. He has even been accurate when distributing the ball from the back after making 90.1% of his attempted passes in league football (stats via whoscored).
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What Will Araujo Bring To Liverpool?
Araujo is a moderately-paced defender who can make some important recovering runs at the back. He can time his tackles well to earn the ball back for his team and doesn’t mind putting his foot through the ball to clear the danger when needed.
The Uruguay international is a tidy passer of the ball and can use his strong 1.88m frame to win a few aerial duels for his team.
Liverpool have currently got a strong defence with the likes of Joel Matip, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez fighting for a place alongside Virgil Van Dijk in Jurgen Klopp‘s starting XI. Hence, Araujo could be a luxury acquisition for the Reds unless Klopp is willing to part ways with one of his current defensive options in the summer.
The Barca centre-back is a talented footballer who could be an upgrade over Joe Gomez who has endured another injury-plagued campaign at Anfield. We can expect Araujo to bring some bite and steel to Liverpool’s backline if Klopp can find a way to land him on a cut-price fee at the end of this campaign.
