Ronald Araujo made a fantastic start to life at Liverpool, with the Uruguayan international operating from right-back, netting on a few occasions.

The 27-year-old has been aggressive in his approach to defending, a helpful mindset for Andoni Iraola, who wants to win the ball back through vigorous pressing.

Liverpool fans have taken to the defender because of his performances at Anfield, and so they may be hopeful that he is brought in next summer.

Now fans of the Reds will be encouraged by the latest developments from Barcelona and their sporting director, Deco.

Liverpool in control of Ronald Araujo’s future

In recent weeks, the defensive performances of Barcelona have not been to the liking of Hansi Flick, as he watched his team suffer defeats to PSG and Real Madrid, before being torn apart in the first half by Atletico Madrid, before staging a comeback against Diego Simeone’s side.

Now, Flick is looking for some defensive reinforcements for the second half of the season to help them in their aims of winning the Champions League and La Liga.

Deco spent a long time looking for a centre-back to strengthen the team in the summer, but when it came time to make a final signing, Flick decided against it.

Meanwhile, Araujo left to join Liverpool on loan, leaving the team with four centre-backs, but there are concerns over Andreas Christensen’s injury record, with the Dane currently sidelined for a month.

Iraola and Liverpool fans have been impressed with the Uruguayan’s performances, and the club’s sporting directors are seriously considering exercising their option to buy the player next summer.

If Liverpool wants to exercise their purchase option and Araujo agrees—and everything indicates that he does, because he's happy—Barcelona will have no chance of bringing him back, as reported by Marca.

Should Liverpool pay the €55 million buyout clause, Barcelona will be powerless to bring the Uruguayan back, except to try to convince the player not to accept the English club's offer.

Barcelona’s other potential defensive recruitments

The Catalan club are currently top of La Liga, and Flick has been proven to be inventive with his selection to cover for shortages while also bringing in players from La Masia who have slotted in seamlessly when required.

However, he may want some more experience as they chase silverware this season, particularly in the defensive area.

Across the summer and last season, they had been linked to Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni, but ultimately they did not sign the Italian.

This does not mean that they have stopped monitoring the defender since their interest was first reported by Fabrizio Romano.

In a more recent report, the Catalan side has been linked to Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez, particularly after his comments regarding the English club’s recruitment.

According to Sport, Barcelona would be interested in the Argentine if the move doesn’t require them to spend big. There was mutual interest between Martinez and Atlético Madrid last summer, so the Catalans face some competition if they decide to explore a move.