Liverpool's Defensive Needs: Araujo and Kounde Options

Liverpool’s back line still looks light. And with the window ticking towards its frantic finale, Barcelona could be about to receive a second knock on the door.

The market has entered the messy stage. Squads are being reshaped at speed, plans are changing overnight, and players who were untouchable in June are suddenly on the table in August. Liverpool already knows what that looks like.

Ronald Araujo is the prime example. A few weeks ago, the idea of the Uruguayan leaving Camp Nou felt distant. Then Hansi Flick sat him down and made it clear he wasn’t central to Barcelona’s plans for the coming season. That single conversation flipped the script.

Araujo, who had been ready to stay in Catalonia for the long haul, chose a new path. The result was a rapid loan move to Anfield for the rest of the campaign. A gap at centre-back, one of Liverpool’s most obvious weaknesses, suddenly had high-level cover.

He offers more than that, too. The 25-year-old can shuffle across to right-back when required, a useful trait for a squad that has been stretched on that flank. Conor Bradley’s long-term injury and recurring issues for Jeremie Frimpong have left Liverpool exposed on the right side of defence.

Araujo can patch it up. He cannot fix it for good.

Liverpool still needs a long-term, nailed-on solution at right-back, someone who can anchor that side of the pitch for years rather than months. That’s where Barcelona may come back into focus.

In Spain, Mundo Deportivo reports that Jules Kounde could emerge as an option before the window shuts. Liverpool is named among the clubs monitoring the situation, with Manchester City and Arsenal also credited with interest. If the door opens, it could solve a lot of problems at once.

Kounde is a right-back by trade for Barcelona, but his background as a centre-back makes him doubly valuable. He has operated at a consistently high level in both roles over recent seasons, giving any coach tactical flexibility and depth in two positions where Liverpool are still recalibrating.

At 27, he is in his prime. Since arriving from Sevilla, Kounde has made 188 appearances for Barcelona, becoming a regular presence in the side. Coaches have trusted him, including Flick, whose aggressive, high-pressing football demands defenders who can defend space, step into duels, and stay switched on for 90 minutes. On paper, that profile drops neatly into what Andoni Iraola is trying to implement at Anfield.

Flick’s assessment earlier this year captured the core of Kounde’s appeal. “Jules is a fighter,” the Barcelona coach said. “He’s always focused. We’re all human, and sometimes you don’t have your best day, but he’s always fighting. Even when things don’t start well. I appreciate what he’s doing. He has a top-notch mentality.”

That mentality is exactly what Liverpool has been targeting in this rebuild: players who can handle intensity, accept responsibility, and drive standards in the dressing room as much as on the pitch.

Whether Liverpool actually moves for Kounde is another question. The club still has other priorities to address in this window and may choose to allocate resources elsewhere before committing to a major right-back deal.

But as the days run down and the chaos deepens, opportunities like Araujo have a habit of reappearing. If Barcelona decides Kounde is available, can Liverpool really afford to walk away from a defender who ticks so many of the boxes they’ve been trying to fill?