RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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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.
"It was the ideal move for me at this stage in my career. I think it was a move that was necessary for me to take.
"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.
Spanish football commentator Alvaro Romeo says three years ago Araujo was "a colossus" during Barca's title-winning run.
"He was phenomenal in defence and the best defender in La Liga by far," Romeo told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"But then after he got injuries, a little bit of absent-mindedness, in some moments he lost concentration.
"If he can regain that, which is not impossible in my opinion, then he's going to be a very good asset for Liverpool ."
Araujo 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.
Why has Araujo joined Liverpool and where did it go wrong at Barcelona?
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.
Speaking to Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo , external in February, the defender said he "had not been well for a while", adding: "I had anxiety for 18 months and it became depression."
Araujo made his debut for Uruguay in 2020 and has been capped 27 times for his country. He was part of ex-boss Marcelo Bielsa's squad at this summer's World Cup, although he did not feature at the tournament.
Former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez, Araujo's international team-mate, wrote on X , external he was joining a "great club".
Nunez added: "I'm deeply glad that you can feel what the affection and support of the Liverpool fans is like.
"They are special and they're going to make you feel it that way, now you're a red too."
As well as Konate's departure, Liverpool 's other centre-back options - Joe Gomez, new signing Jeremy Jacquet and Italian teenager Giovanni Leoni - are all continuing their recoveries from injury.
Frenchman Jacquet, 21, officially joined the Reds last month in a £60m deal from Rennes, but has not played in any of the club's pre-season friendly games so far because of a minor knee issue.
New head coach Andoni Iraola told LFCTV Jacquet "should be fine" to be included in Liverpool 's double-header against Como on Sunday.
Iraola paired 35-year-old captain Virgil van Dijk with Austrian teenager Ifeanyi Ndukwe in defence in the 3-2 friendly defeat by Monaco at Anfield at the weekend.
Ndukwe, who is 6ft 6in (1.98m), became a Liverpool player this summer after agreeing a move from Austria Vienna in January.
The 18-year-old has impressed during pre-season, however, Iraola will not be able to use him this year as he does not yet qualify for a UK work permit.
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