Liverpool are prepared to pay as much as €45m (£38.3m) for Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo, according to reports in the Catalan media.
The Uruguayan is a player that has been scouted by the Reds, with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea having also been linked with the defender in recent months.
However, the €45m figure does seem a bit much, considering that Araujo only has eighteen months left on his contract at the Camp Nou.
The 22-year-old has yet to agree terms on a new deal with Barca, and these stories about Liverpool’s interest may well be coming from the player’s agent, who is trying to put pressure on the La Liga club to give in to their demands.
For their part, the Reds don’t really need another centre-half currently. While Nathaniel Phillips has expressed his desire to leave Anfield in the January transfer window, manager Jurgen Klopp still has the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate to choose from.
