Liverpool given transfer encouragement over £52m LaLiga beast after devastating Leoni setback | OneFootball

Liverpool were rocked this week by the gutting news that Giovanni Leoni will be sidelined for a whole year after suffering an ACL injury in the Carabao Cup win over Southampton.

It’s a devastating blow for the teenage defender, who’d performed so impressively on his debut for the Reds before it ground to a shuddering and heartbreaking halt in the closing stages of the game at Anfield.

With the 18-year-old now facing a long road back to a full recovery, and Ibrahima Konate continuing to be linked with Real Madrid as he enters the final nine months of his LFC contract, the need for centre-back reinforcements could reach desperation point by 2026.

Ronald Araujo to Liverpool is ‘one to keep an eye on’

According to Mark Brus for the Daily Briefing, Liverpool are keeping a close watch on Ronald Araujo’s situation at Barcelona as they potentially enter the market for a central defender next year.

The Reds appear to have been given some encouragement by the LaLiga giants, with a source telling the transfer reporter: “One to keep an eye on is Araujo to Liverpool. He’s considering his options and Barca would probably sell for €50m-€60m [£43.7m-£52.4m].”

(Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Araujo could be well worth pursuing for Liverpool

If the Reds continue to make little headway in contract negotiations with Konate, the addition of a centre-back in 2026 would undoubtedly become a necessity – some might argue that it already is after the sickening injury blow to Leoni.

Marc Guehi would appear to be at the top of the list at Anfield, but the Premier League champions could find it hard to entice the Crystal Palace captain mid-season if he wishes to keep his club situation stable in the run-up to next summer’s World Cup.

In terms of alternative targets, Liverpool could do a lot worse than Araujo, who Vinicius Junior previously labelled ‘the best defender I have ever faced’ (Planet Sport).

Unsurprisingly for someone who’s 6 foot 3 in stature, the Uruguayan is outstanding in the air – as per FBref, his match average of 3.75 successful aerial duels places him in the top 3% of centre-back in Europe’s five main leagues over the pst year.

He also excels at playing out from the back, with a pass completion rate of 91.4% placing him in the 86th percentile among positional peers for that metric.

The 26-year-old is now in the prime of his career and has accrued a wealth of elite experience with Barcelona which should enable him to readily adjust to the Premier League, although his injury record may be a concern – he missed the first half of last season with a severe hamstring issue.

With Liverpool almost certainly in need of a centre-back addition in 2026 and the LaLiga giants seemingly open to cashing in on Araujo at the right price, he could definitely be one for FSG to strongly consider pursuing over the next few months.