€55m star sends official transfer message to Liverpool
Liverpool defender Ronald Araujo has admitted that he is “very happy” at the club following his loan move from Barcelona over the summer.
The Uruguay international joined Andoni Iraola’s side on a season-long loan deal in August and he has quickly established himself as a fan’s favourite at Anfield after becoming the club’s new first-choice right-back.
Araujo was signed to provide cover across multiple defensive positions, but he has found a home at right-back and rumours suggest that Liverpool are highly likely to trigger their €55 million option-to-buy clause next summer.
However, Araujo, 27, has played down such reports despite his excellent start to life at Anfield.
“The truth is I am very happy, very happy,” Araujo admitted to Sky Sports ahead of Liverpool’s 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.
“It all happened so quickly but I am very happy, very grateful to the people. From the moment I arrived here at the club, they’ve made me feel like one of them.
“Also my teammates, the coaching staff, the people that work at the club. And yeah, I’m very happy, very grateful and enjoying it, and enjoying playing football and being on the pitch.”
“But there’s still a long way to go. The decision won’t be made for many months yet,” he added when asked about the prospect of potentially joining Liverpool on a permanent deal in 2027.
“So I’m trying to enjoy each day, give everything I have, keep working, keep improving and help the club win trophies.
“I firmly believe in the team we have. We have a great squad, with experienced players and young players with enormous talent.
“So I’ll keep working, and we’ll see what happens in the future. For now, we have to enjoy the moment.”
Liverpool expected to finalise Ronald Araujo deal
While Araujo has poured cold water on reports suggesting that a permanent deal is expected to be finalised shortly, it seems highly likely that Liverpool will attempt to agree a transfer with Barcelona next year.
The 27-year-old has played a pivotal role in the Reds’ early season form under new boss Iraola and he has fixed the right-back issue that plagued their 2025-26 campaign following the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, in addition to Araujo, Liverpool are also expected to sign another new defender next year amid the uncertain long-term future of club captain Virgil van Dijk.
It’s understood that Murillo (Nottingham Forest) and Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund) are both on their radar, while the club may look to trigger the buy-back clause included in Jarell Quansah’s contract at Bayer Leverkusen.
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