Liverpool are ready to begin the signing process for Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo in January after a big green light from the star and his family was revealed by insider Juan Jesus.

The Reds are fourth in the Premier League after eight games. They’ve won their last four games in all competitions and things appear to be clicking.

That’s ideal for a side with quite a few new players having to gel together.

Bradley Barcola, Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo are among the new faces who are beginning to impress.

Araujo, on loan from Barcelona, appears to have found a home at right-back, and Liverpool seem more than impressed by him in the role.

They hold a €55million (£46m) option to buy the defender in the summer, and insider Jesus states that process will begin as soon as possible.

He wrote on X: ‘Liverpool is planning to contact Barça this very winter to start the proceedings. The purchase option (around 55M€) can be activated in the next transfer window.

‘ At Anfield, they admire the player and are delighted with him. For his part, Araújo and his family are happy and haven’t felt this comfortable in a long time.’

Ronald Araujo plans known

TEAMtalk is aware that Araujo is ready to move away from Barca permanently if there’s an indication Hansi Flick doesn’t want him in 2027.

An insider has suggested there’s a likelihood Liverpool look to keep the defender after his loan spell.

He said: “Liverpool will already be working on that deal to sign Araujo on a permanent deal, it’s already happening.

“When you get a player like that on loan and he hits the ground running, the immediate inclination is to make sure you have everything lined up behind the scenes.

“So that’s what Liverpool will be doing now, because the manager has liked what he has seen from him so far, especially after that display against Brighton.

“They’ll obviously keep a close eye on how he gets on for the rest of the season, and a decision will be made before the summer, but they want to have it lined up already.

“Araujo has been terrific, he’s become a very important player for Liverpool, and if he continues to impress as he has been, then he is highly likely to stay permanently.”