Liverpool have agreed a surprise deal for Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo to join on loan for the season.
Primarily a central defender, Araujo would also provide cover at right back for Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley, whose knee injury is set to continue sidelining him for the opening months of the 2026-27 season.
The deal is a straight loan for the 27-year-old, who signed a new contract until 2031 last year.
The centre back will add to Andoni Iraola's options at the heart of his defence following the departure of Ibrahima Konate to Real Madrid and fitness concerns over relatively inexperienced 21-year-old Jeremy Jacquet.
The summer signing from Rennes has made fewer than 100 senior career appearances and has not featured in pre-season yet after missing the second half of last season following shoulder surgery.
Joe Gomez suffered a muscle injury in Liverpool's opening pre-season game, while teenage centre back Giovanni Leoni is still recovering from an ACL injury, leaving captain Virgil van Dijk as Liverpool's only fully fit senior centre back.
The Uruguay international joined Barcelona B in 2018 before being promoted to the first team in 2019.
He has made more than 200 appearances for Barcelona but finds himself down the pecking order in Spain, with the likes of Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin ahead of him.
Araujo has therefore taken up the opportunity to move to the Premier League, with more than two weeks still to go until Liverpool's first game of the competitive season.
The 6ft 3in central defender was at the World Cup with Uruguay and was sent off when Barcelona lost 3-0 at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea in the Champions League in November.
He didn't play a minute for his country in North America, though, as he was injured in training and didn't recover in time to feature before Marcelo Bielsa's side were knocked out in the group stage.
The Reds will face Monaco on Sunday in pre-season and then Cesc Fabregas's Como a week later, before starting their campaign against Newcastle on August 23.
Araujo will become the third major arrival at Anfield after the signings of Jacquet and winger Victor Munoz.
