New loan signing Ronald Araujo will take inspiration from “role model” Virgil van Dijk when he lines up alongside the Liverpool captain.
The 27-year-old Uruguay international has taken a pay cut to facilitate his move, for which the club have an option to buy for a pre-agreed price – believed to be £47million – should it prove successful.
And the chance to play with a fellow centre-back still rated as one of the world’s best is something he is looking forward to.
“We all know what a great player Virgil is. He’s a real reference point for the team and he’s a kind of role model and reference for me personally as well,” he told the club’s website.
“I am excited to have that opportunity and enjoy learning from him, playing alongside him. With hard work, I think we can achieve good things together as a partnership and as a defence.”
Defence was an area which needed strengthening following the departure of Ibrahima Konate at the conclusion of his contract and the on-going injury issues at right-back.
Liverpool believe Araujo’s experience – he was named Barcelona captain in January – is important and, significantly, he is up to speed having been involved in the Catalans’ pre-season preparations and it is understood he will join squad training later this week.
He arrives having won three league titles with Barcelona, as well as two Copas del Rey, and wants to continue that at Anfield after the 2025 Premier League winners finished trophyless in a season which cost head coach Arne Slot his job just 12 months after lifting the title.
“Without a shadow of a doubt, the aim is to win trophies, win things. Liverpool is a team that is competing on all levels for all trophies, so we need to be battling it out on all fronts,” added Araujo, who has already received goodwill messages from two other Uruguayans who played for the club in Luis Suarez and Darwin Nunez.
“You aim high at a club like this – that’s what we’ll all be doing. As well as aiming high, I’ll be giving everything that I can out there on the pitch to try to make that happen.”
Araujo’s arrival gives head coach Andoni Iraola greater depth in defence than his predecessor as new arrival Jeremy Jacquet is expected to return to training after a knee injury while Giovanni Leoni is entering the final stages of his rehabilitation following an ACL injury.
Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Ndiaye, both 18, have impressed in pre-season but with Joe Gomez not fit for the start of the new campaign, Iraola needed another senior defender as, for much of last season, Liverpool had to play Van Dijk and Konate virtually every game.
Liverpool are continuing to actively look for more signings, with attack in need of reinforcement, and Araujo’s fee-free arrival will not impact those plans.
They have an interest in Paris St Germain’s Bradley Barcola but will not pay over the odds, in keeping with their self-sustaining model of seeking value in the market.