Araujo arrived at Anfield in August on a season-long loan with an option to buy, and both the player and Liverpool’s owners already appear to be looking past it.

David Lynch, who covers Liverpool for TeamTalk, has delivered the bluntest verdict yet on how the move is likely to end.

“I just really wish they would sign him. I know they’re probably not going to, to be honest, though.”

The pressure point is money against age. Araujo will be 28 next summer, and Lynch does not believe FSG will spend £47m on a defender in that bracket, despite the Uruguayan having steadied the back line.

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“I don’t think they would pay that amount for someone who’s 27, but he’s just such a good player.”

Araujo wants to go back

The player himself is not pushing for a permanent exit from Barcelona. Araujo views his season at Liverpool as a reminder to Flick that he can still be useful at Camp Nou, where he started just 16 matches in all competitions last season before accepting a pay cut to facilitate the loan.

He joined Liverpool with no loan fee, with the club covering his wages for the campaign. He has played nine times for Andoni Iraola’s side, with five of those appearances coming at right-back, and scored in the Champions League against LASK.

Barcelona want the sale

The two clubs are looking at opposite ends of the same question. Barcelona are hopeful of making the sale permanent next summer, with squad reduction and wage cuts the priority after Araujo was identified as a higher earner they could afford to move on.

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Both clubs are reported to regard the €55m fee as reasonable. What tilts the balance is Flick’s own view: if the Barcelona head coach signals that Araujo still has a long-term place in his plans, the player will almost certainly want the return.

Ward turns to Gusto and Kounde

With the permanent deal cooling, Julian Ward is already working on alternatives. Ward was reappointed as sporting director in September after Richard Hughes left to join Al Hilal, and has been tasked with lining up right-back targets. Chelsea’s Malo Gusto and Barcelona’s own Jules Kounde are the two names in the frame.

Iraola is understood to want Araujo kept at Anfield, but the decision sits above him with FSG. The option on his loan expires next summer.

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