Xavi has been speaking to the media about Ronald Araujo, and he’s keen to extend the defender’s contract amid interest from Liverpool.
What’s the story?
Well, it was SPORT who claimed that Liverpool are interested in bringing the 5-cap Uruguay international to the Premier League, and have already made contact with Barcelona.
Now, Xavi has spoken out about Araujo’s situation, as the centre-back only has 18 months remaining on his contract.
As quoted by Samuel Marsden, the Spaniard said: “Yes, it’s a priority to renew Araujo’s deal. You can see he’s an important player for me, for the team. Extraordinary defender. Very important we reach an agreement quickly. He’s a player for the present and the future.”
By the sounds of it, Xavi is desperate to tie the 22-year-old down.
Whether that’s because he’s worried about interest from elsewhere is a mystery, although there is certainly a lot of urgency in his comments.
So far this season, Araujo – who has a €200m (£167m) release clause – has come of age at the Camp Nou, making 22 appearances in all competitions.
He seems to be a real gem with massive potential, so it’s no surprise to see Jürgen Klopp sniffing around.
Do Liverpool need Ronald Araujo?
In our view, the Reds do not need another centre-back.
Of course, should Araujo run his contract down, it would be silly of Liverpool if they didn’t take advantage of the situation.
However, there’s no point throwing money at Barcelona to sign the South American when Klopp already has many options.
Liverpool can call upon Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Nat Phillips at centre-back.
Even when Van Dijk and Matip get on a bit, Gomez and Konate – aged 24 and 22 respectively – can step in for the long-term.
It’s a great position for the Reds to be in, so there’s no need to add Araujo to Klopp’s already bloated centre-back department.
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