Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has spoken about the imminent departure of his captain, Ronald Araujo, to Liverpool.
The Reds have agreed to sign the Uruguay international on a season-long loan from the La Liga champions after new boss Andoni Iraola was left with just one fully fit senior centre-back and right-back, with the Premier League season just two weeks away.
Araujo can cover both positions and is due to arrive on Merseyside today (Sunday) to undergo a medical ahead of completing his move to Liverpool.
The 27-year-old has spent the past eight years at Barcelona, making 213 appearances and scoring 14 goals. He was appointed club captain in January following Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s loan departure.
However, Ronald Araujo made just 16 starts last season and took a break for mental health reasons after being heavily criticised following his red card in Barcelona’s Champions League defeat to Chelsea in November.
He returned in January and helped Barcelona win the La Liga title in May after a 2-0 victory over bitter rivals Real Madrid at Camp Nou.
Despite that, Flick has allowed his captain to leave, with the Barcelona boss speaking about Araujo’s departure after his side’s friendly matches against Nottingham Forest and Udinese on Saturday.
Hansi Flick said: “I think Ronald is a great guy and a fantastic player.
“I think our style of play, that we want to play, is a little bit different. He’s a player that has a lot of speed, he’s physical and very strong and also with the ball he’s quite good.
“We couldn’t include him like I wanted and also I think he wants to make something new. You know it more than me because in the past, something has happened, so this affected him.
“I saw him this morning and I said goodbye and I think he was very happy and Liverpool is also a fantastic club. I wish him all the best because he deserves it.
“He’s a fantastic guy and fantastic player and was a great captain.”
The season-long loan is understood to include a £47m option for Liverpool to buy Araujo rather than an obligation.
Liverpool have several defensive concerns ahead of their Premier League opener against Newcastle United on August 23.
Joe Gomez is sidelined with a muscle injury, while new signing Jeremy Jacquet is still recovering from shoulder surgery. Giovanni Leoni remains out with an ACL injury, and teenager Ifeanyi Ndukwe is ineligible.
At right-back, Conor Bradley has been out since January with a serious knee injury, while Jeremie Frimpong has also suffered fitness setbacks since joining from Bayer Leverkusen.
Liverpool face Monaco at Anfield at 2.30pm today (Sunday) in their latest pre-season friendly.
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