Major red flag emerges at Liverpool as star makes stance on move clear

Andoni Iraola still has a lot of things to figure out at Liverpool.

The Spaniard was appointed as the Reds' new head coach at the start of summer and, even though he was unbeaten across all competitions until last Sunday, it still feels like more could come from them.

Certain players such as Jeremy Jacquet, Virgil van Dijk and Alexis Mac Allister are doing all they can to get the Reds back to their best but others such as Florian Wirtz and Ryan Gravenberch have performed way under expectations.

This has led to many new players being linked with Liverpool and has forced them to re-enter the transfer market despite already spending over £150 million on new players.

However, it now seems like one player has already made a decision on his future.

Ronald Araujo wants to return to Barcelona instead of staying with Liverpool

Ronald Araujo is arguably one of the best signings that Liverpool made in the summer.

The defender can cover centre-back or right-back but, since Jeremie Frimpong has performed rather poorly and Conor Bradley is out of action, Araujo has made the right-back position his own.

His performances have been excellent with some of his tackles even managing to earn Liverpool points.

The Uruguayan's defensive stability has made things much easier for Jacquet and Van Dijk to deal with this term with some fans even already asking Liverpool to make the deal permanent.

However, as per an update from Ekrem Konur, it seems like Araujo has other plans.

"Liverpool hold a €55M option to sign Ronald Araújo next summer," he wrote.

"The move depends on the player’s approval. Araújo’s first choice is to return to Barcelona.

"He sees the Liverpool loan as a chance to prove himself to Hansi Flick.

"Before agreeing to a permanent deal, he wants to speak with Flick."

Liverpool must figure out Ronald Araujo's plans before anything else

At the moment, it feels silly for Liverpool to not activate their €55 million (£47 million) option to buy for Araujo.

Of all the Reds' signings this summer, the former Barcelona captain feels like he's been the best of the lot.

Every single time he's been called upon, whether he's been used as a centre-back or a right-back, he's always put in a solid performance and has rarely ever made a mistake.

Indeed, he may be 27 years old now but, since he'd only cost the Reds £47 million to bring in permanently, it feels like a steal.

That is, if he keeps his performances up to this standard, of course.

At the moment, it's unclear what business Liverpool are going to do but, before they complete any sort of deals, they must figure out what Araujo is doing.

Because, if he's going to return to Barcelona, the Reds will need to bring in another versatile defender who can cover both centre-back and right-back.

But, if he's going to stay at Anfield, they won't need to spend whatever money they have on someone new, so, here's hoping that the Uruguayan's future is made clear soon.