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Ronald Araujo is regarded as one of the best defenders in world football, and it’s no surprise that Liverpool have been linked with the FC Barcelona star in recent years.

The Uruguay international has formed quite the reputation for himself with the La Liga giants even after facing numerous injury problems, with Araujo linked with Liverpool last year as the Reds eyed a world-class defender to add to their ranks.

Although a move to Anfield is unlikely given how much the rumours have died down surrounding the Barcelona star, Araujo remains a player that many Liverpool fans would love to see one day make the move to Merseyside.

Yet Araujo might have potentially sparked transfer interest from Liverpool after naming which player he admires the most in his position.

Photo by Molly Darlington/Copa/Getty Images

Speaking to Sport in a quick-fire interview, Araujo named Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk as the defender he admires the most, with the Dutch international enjoying one of his best seasons ever with the Premier League giants this term.

With Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi also admitting he ‘loves’ watching Van Dijk, the 33-year-old centre-back is beginning to earn his flowers from some of the best in the game for his performances this campaign under Arne Slot.

Indeed, with Jamie Carragher urging Van Dijk to stay at Liverpool with the defender yet to sign a new contract with the Reds, pressure has never been higher for the Anfield side to tie one of their star players to fresh terms.

Yet if Van Dijk were to leave Liverpool for free at the end of this season, Araujo could be a potential replacement for Slot in the summer, even if Barcelona’s demands for the Uruguay international reach club-record transfer levels for the Merseyside giants.

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Barcelona have been somewhat conservative with their release clauses in recent years after Neymar’s world-record move to PSG, with Araujo no exception as the defender’s exit fee currently stands at a cool €1bn (£833m).

However, according to AS, Barcelona have dramatically lowered this release clause going into the summer transfer window to just €65m (£53m), a fee that could be tempting for Liverpool if Van Dijk were to leave Anfield.

The centre-back position is set to see some big changes over the summer, and regardless of what happens to Van Dijk, Araujo could be a legitimate option for Liverpool in Slot’s bid to improve the defensive ranks.