'£47m? Why not?' - Former Liverpool centre-back Dejan Lovren tells club to seal bargain permanent deal for Barcelona loanee Ronald Araujo

Former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has urged the Reds to trigger their €55 million (£47m) purchase option for Barcelona loanee Ronald Araujo. The 27-year-old centre-back has quickly become a mainstay at Anfield since arriving on a season-long deal from the Catalan giants in August.

Lovren believes Anfield chiefs should waste no time tying down Araujo beyond June 30, 2027 following his seamless transition to English football. Since completing his temporary switch in the summer, the Uruguay international has featured in all 10 of the Merseysiders' opening Premier League matches, starting eight of them. His parent club still hold the defender under contract at Camp Nou until June 2031.

Having registered 185 appearances and eight goals across all competitions during a six-year spell on Merseyside between 2014 and 2020 before departing for Russian outfit Zenit Saint Petersburg, the Croatian knows what is required at the heart of the backline. Across his English top-flight career, he tallied 162 outings and seven goals - combining 31 games and two strikes at former club Southampton with 131 matches and five goals for the Reds.

Speaking to Tribal Football, Lovren explained why the newcomer thrives in England: "I believe the Premier League suits Ronald Araujo more than the Spanish league. Because he is a physically dominant guy, it suits him perfectly.

"I believe he will only improve and, I don't know, maybe in the future he can agree to stay permanently. In the Premier League, Liverpool won't be his only option, but Liverpool are smart enough to consider their options, he's quite young at 27. So why not keep him if he's doing so well?"

With rival top-flight clubs likely to monitor the centre-half's availability if he returns to Spain next summer, the former Croatia international feels the reported buyout fee represents an opportunity too good for his old employers to ignore.

Pressing the hierarchy to make the arrangement permanent, Lovren added: "£47m? Why not? In the near future, he will probably cost £80m, so why not take him at this price and make him an even bigger and better player along the way? He's at a perfect age. He has a good five to six years at the top football level to play. So why not?"

Addressing his long-term plans recently, Araujo insisted it remains "too early" to decide where he will play his football next season. For now, the defender is focused on helping fourth-placed Liverpool build on their 18-point haul from their opening 10 league outings. Once the international break concludes, the Reds return to top-flight action at Anfield against fierce rivals Manchester United in Matchday 11 on Sunday, November 22.