Van Dijk welcomes expected arrival of Araújo as Liverpool build for season
Virgil van Dijk said he is ready to welcome Ronald Araújo as his new centre-back partner at Liverpool after the Barcelona defender’s loan to Anfield was reported to be almost complete, following Van Dijk’s first pre-season appearance on 10 August 2026 in a 3-2 defeat by Monaco at Anfield.
Van Dijk played almost an hour in that game, which Liverpool led 2-0 before conceding three goals, and he conceded a penalty when he fouled Aleksandr Golovin, which Golovin converted. Jérémy Jacquet remained absent from the squad, with Liverpool’s new £50m arrival being treated with kid gloves after an injury-hit spell at the end of last season with Rennes. Liverpool are also reported to be interested in strengthening their forward line, with Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola mentioned as a target.
Araújo has been signed to bolster Andoni Iraola’s defensive options, with Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni also sidelined. Van Dijk addressed the incoming defender directly, saying: “Any player that arrives at the club we will be welcoming,” Van Dijk said of Araújo. “I have no idea if it has been announced or not. I have not seen him so let’s see.”
On the wider transfer picture and squad availability, Van Dijk said: “Let’s see what the next couple of weeks are going to bring. Any quality we can add to the team will definitely be welcome so let’s see.” He commented on Jacquet’s situation: “I’ve not seen any of him. I’ve spoken to him,” Van Dijk said of Jacquet. “I’ve seen him walking around and we have conversations. I can’t wait to see him back on the pitch and I hope that happens very soon. I’m not a doctor, so I don’t know exactly the situation, but I have a feeling this week he could be back on the pitch, hopefully as soon as possible.”
Van Dijk acknowledged the club is in a transitional phase following the sacking of Arne Slot and described his relationship with the new head coach. “We had a great conversation in the first week when it got announced and the main thing for him to know is I am here for him regardless, anything he needs, wants to know, wants me to do for the team or whatever. Hopefully we will be successful this season.” He also paid tribute to the previous staff: “Nothing to take away from Arne and his staff, we had an amazing time together, but obviously last year [was] a disappointment. This year we have a new manager who has new ways of preparation, so we have to adapt to the new staff, different training methods. I liked working under Arne and I am sure I will like working under the new manager.”
The transfer deadline on 1 September is the immediate milestone for Liverpool’s recruitment plans, and Van Dijk has made clear any additional quality brought in before then would be welcomed: “Any quality we can add to the team will definitely be welcome so let’s see.”
