Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo is due to fly to Liverpool on Sunday to complete a move to the Premier League club.The 27-year-old Uruguay international centre-back is expected to join on a season-long loan deal that also includes Liverpool having a €55million (£47.1m; $63.6m) option to buy him.Andrew Jones, Gregg Evans and Laia Cervello Herrero analyse this imminent transfer.Does signing Araujo make sense for Liverpool?Last month, Liverpool’s new head coach Andoni Iraola described his defensive options as “very thin”, so the need to recruit in that area of the pitch was clear.Their problems at centre-back have been laid bare during pre-season.Joe Gomez went off injured after seven minutes in the first game of their U.S. tour and will now miss the start of the season, while Giovanni Leoni’s rehabilitation continues after the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injury he suffered on his Liverpool debut last September. New signing Jeremy Jacquet has yet to play in pre-season as he deals with a minor fitness issue.Youngsters Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye, both 18, along with left-back Luke Chambers, 22, were heavily relied on during the two-week, three-match trip to the United States.Araujo’s looming arrival will ease concerns about who will be partnering Liverpool’s captain Virgil van Dijk in the first game of the new Premier League season, where they take on Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Sunday, August 23.The 27-year-old provides an experienced option who has played at the top level. That will give Jacquet and Leoni time to adapt to the demands of English football, with less reliance on them in the short term.Araujo will then provide cover if, as Liverpool hope, 21-year-old Jacquet establishes himself as first-choice alongside Van Dijk. The Uruguayan can also stand in at right-back, which is another problem area for Iraola, with Conor Bradley still out and Jeremie Frimpong his only fit, senior option at present.This loan looks to be a sensible short-term solution and could turn into a longer-term arrangement if things go well and Liverpool decide to exercise the option to buy it includes — as things stand, Van Dijk and Gomez are both going to be out of contract at the end of the season.Andrew JonesWhy are Barca happy to let their captain leave?Araujo addresses Barcelona fans after their La Liga title last season (Alex Caparros/Getty Images)Manager Hansi Flick told Araujo this week he would not be a key player for him this season. He is one of the team’s most experienced players, ended last season as the captain, and, as such, is one of the highest-paid members of the squad.Barcelona have struggled to register players in recent summers due to financial regulations, given the high standards set by La Liga regarding wage-bill limits.The Catalans have long been looking to make a major sale to help balance the books. Although this is only a loan with an option to buy, Liverpool will be covering his full salary for the season.The fact Araujo was not going to be a key player for Flick yet was one of the squad’s top earners means moving him on is sensible, and doing so makes it easier for the club to register new signings and enter the final four weeks of the summer transfer window in a stronger position.However, Barcelona’s first team were already short on numbers last season, with a very thin squad which, combined with a high number of injuries during the campaign, meant the few players who remained injury-free were much more fatigued come the final stretch. And many of them also then took part in the World Cup.Flick said that if no players were leaving, he did not want any more centre-backs signed and was happy with what he had. This is now something that will have to be revisited.