Liverpool are among the clubs who are interested in signing “one of the best” players in Europe in his position, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.
The Reds may wait until next summer to make further signings, unless the chance arises to bring someone in during the January transfer window.
A new centre-back to be considered a priority, even if Ibrahima Konate signs a new deal, with Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi still a leading option to come in at Anfield.
Speaking to Football Insider, O’Rourke claimed that Liverpool are in the mix to sign Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo, perhaps being seen as an alternative to Guehi.
“Araujo is a top defender at Barcelona, an Uruguay international as well,” O’Rourke said.
“He’s on the list of a number of clubs as well as Liverpool because he is one of the best young defenders in Europe, it’ll be real difficult deal for them to do.
“As I said, he’s a key man for Barcelona. He’s under contract until 2031. So they would be looking to command a huge fee to consider selling Araujo as well.
“A lot would depend on whether Barcelona’s financial situation is sorted or not, or whether Barcelona need to raise funds and then they might have to cash in on something like Araujo. But yeah, I think right now Liverpool are still concentrating on getting the deal done for Marc Guehi as they look to bring in a new centre back.”
Araujo a superb long-term option for Liverpool
Araujo is a highly impressive centre-back, with the Uruguayan helping Barca win La Liga last season, making 179 appearances for the Catalan giants to date.
At 26, he isn’t necessarily as young as O’Rourke points out, but he is the same age as Konate, and his peak years are still likely to be ahead of him.
As mentioned, centre-back needs to be an area of focus for Liverpool, and Araujo could be a fantastic option, possessing both quality on the ball and expertise out of possession, averaging 2.7 clearances per game and completing 88.9% of his passes in La Liga so far this season.
If Konate does end up leaving the Reds next summer, the Barca ace could come in as well as Guehi, giving Arne Slot sufficient depth.
