Liverpool interested in €50-60m deal for Barcelona man without guaranteed starting role | OneFootball

Barcelona went through another summer without returning to within the bounds of their salary limit, and again struggled to register players. While a large part of that comes down to the removal of their €100m VIP seats lease, it is no small part down to the fact that they have not been able to make any major sales for another summer.

A number of players were linked with an exit, including Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo, Gerard Martin, Marc Casado, Fermin Lopez and Ferran Torres, but all of those links were met with the same response: ‘I want to stay at Barcelona’. It meant that Barcelona went without major income, selling for a total of €23m, with Pau Victor, Pablo Torre and Alex Valle all leaving, while they saved on the salaries of Inigo Martinez and Clement Lenglet.

Liverpool keen on Ronald Araujo

Image via Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images

Liverpool are in the market for a central defender at some point in 2026, with Giovanni Leoni ruled out for the remainder of the season, and Ibrahima Konate poised to leave at the end of it as things stand. They had tried to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace, but that deal collapsed on deadline day.

Now according to The Daily Briefing, Araujo is a name to to ‘keep an eye on’. Liverpool have identified him as a potential option, and feel he could be available for €50-60m next summer. That said, Barcelona are not actively looking to sell him, and the Reds would first have to persuade Araujo himself. He recently penned a new deal until 2031, and this summer was clear that he wants to stay at Barcelona.

https://x.com/barcacentre/status/1971457896656536038

Araujo’s loss of importance under Hansi Flick

Araujo was regarded by many as Barcelona’s best defender when he got injured at Copa America in the summer of 2024, keeping him out for five months. When he came back, he found Inigo Martinez and Pau Cubarsi ahead of him in the pecking order, and he struggled to adapt to Hansi Flick’s high pressing system.

This season Araujo has split minutes with Andreas Christensen and Eric Garcia alongside Cubarsi, but even with Martinez’s exit, there is no guarantee he will have a starting role this season.