Liverpool are set to sign Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo on a season-long loan deal.Primarily a central defender, Araujo would also 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.Liverpool have a defensive shortage as Giovanni Leoni remains sidelined from the anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered in September last year and Joe Gomez is set to miss the start of the Premier League season due to a muscular injury sustained in pre-season.Those injuries come alongside the exit of Ibrahima Konate, who left Anfield at the end of his contract earlier this summer. to join Real Madrid as a free agent.Araujo, 27, was part of Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay squad for this summer’s World Cup but did not make an appearance as the nation exited at the group stage.Jeremy Jacquet has joined Andoni Iraola’s squad this summer, six months after the club agreed a deal to sign him from Rennes. The 21-year-old has not played since February due to a serious shoulder injury, and has not been involved in pre-season so far for Liverpool due to a separate, minor issue.With captain Virgil van Dijk absent following his commitments at the World Cup and Jacquet, Gomez and Leoni all injured, Iraola had to rely heavily on teenage centre-backs Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye during the recent pre-season tour of America.Full-back Luke Chambers also deputised in the middle with Iraola admitting the squad was “thin” defensively. Ndukwe caught the eye with his performances but the young Austrian will have to be loaned out this season as he’s not eligible for a work permit to play in England in 2026-27.Araujo was granted indefinite leave by Barcelona at the beginning of December after requesting a period of absence. He returned to the team at the end of January.In total, he has made 213 first-team appearances for Barca since joining from Uruguayan club Boston River in January 2019.Defensive signing a Liverpool necessityAnalysis by The Athletic’s Gregg EvansLiverpool are light on numbers in defence so this doesn’t come as much of a surprise.With Konate leaving for Madrid they were already a man down before other setbacks in recent weeks left the backline in clear need of reinforcements.Gomez faces a spell on the sidelines and set to miss the start of the season, Jacquet yet to feature across pre-season and Leoni recovering from a long-term injury and still not back in full training, it would have been too much of a risk to start the campaign with Virgil van Dijk as the only fit senior centre-half.Head coach Iraola expressed his concerns last week when he admitted that reinforcements were needed, and Araujo will tick a lot of boxes. At 27, he’s experienced and will be able to lean on the knowledge gained from playing at Barcelona since 2019.He’s a right-footed centre-back who may also be able to cover at right-back if needed, and that will help because Bradley is still out injured and the options elsewhere are limited. Liverpool have great faith in Jacquet and Leoni progressing in the future but they are both still young and have spent significant time on the sidelines recently, so the option of another experienced stopper to turn to will be vital.Aug 7, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms