Liverpool officially confirmed the arrival of Ronald Araujo on a season-long loan deal from Barcelona yesterday.
The Uruguayan international is an experienced campaigner and has been brought in amid an ongoing defensive crisis at the back.
Liverpool are without Giovanni Leoni, Joe Gomez, Jeremy Jacquet and Conor Bradley, so Araujo’s versatility allows him to provide cover across multiple positions.
His arrival, however, could have a knock-on effect on the squad as it could facilitate the departure of Ifeanyi Ndukwe.
Ifeanyi Ndukwe to leave Liverpool on loan after Como friendly
Ndukwe has been the surprise package of Liverpool’s pre-season so far, delivering a string of magnificent displays at the heart of the backline.
In an ideal world, he would be retained by the Reds, but he doesn’t qualify for a work permit and will not be allowed to play for Liverpool at least until January.
And now, The Athletic have confirmed that clubs from Portugal, Germany and Denmark have already made offers for him on loan, while other clubs in Belgium, France and Spain remain interested.
Liverpool can’t use Ndukwe this season, but they need to make sure he gets a proper loan move where he can play week in and week out.
The young Austrian already looks like an unbelievable talent and looks set to save the club millions in the coming years.
However, for the time being, he will feature against Como this weekend and look to depart on loan to continue his development.
The Como fixture could also see Araujo make his debut, so the game promises to be an exciting one.
