Liverpool announced the signing of Ronald Araujo from Barcelona on Monday evening. The Uruguayan has joined the club on loan, while the Reds also have an option to buy.

Araujo, who is a centre-back who can also operate at right-back, made his Barcelona debut in 2019. He has made 213 appearances for the club, scoring 14 times, and has helped them to eight trophies.

“I can’t wait to get started. I’m very, very happy,” Araujo told Liverpool’s official website after completing a move to the Reds.

“I’m excited to be here at this massive club with lots of history. I’m excited to meet my teammates, excited to get started playing, and I’m very motivated and really up for getting going.

“I think it was the ideal move for me at this stage in my career. I think it was a move that was necessary for me to take. As soon as I heard that interest from Liverpool, everything went into action really, really quickly.

“As I say, I’m super-happy to be here and excited to get started. I’m glad about the interest and it was the right move at the right time.”

Ronald Araujo Given Very Rare Shirt Number

Due to joining the club fairly late in the summer transfer window, there weren’t any low shirt numbers available for Araujo. Among the numbers he could have picked are No. 11, No. 13, No. 16, No. 24, No. 26, No. 27 and No. 29.

Araujo eventually chose to wear the number 33 shirt, which has only been worn by six players in Liverpool history.

The shirt number was first given to Layton Maxwell in the 1999/00 season. He made just one appearance for the Reds; a League Cup match against Hull City in September 1999. The following season, the number 33 was given to Alan Navarro.

Neil Mellor, who played a role in Liverpool’s Champions League triumph in 2005, wore the shirt between 2002-2005. Sebastian Leto wore it in 2007/08, while Jonjo Shelvey donned it from 2010 until 2013.

The last player to wear the shirt before Araujo was Jordon Ibe, who wore it from 2013 until 2016.

Ronald Araujo Explains Reason Behind Shirt Number

Araujo has explained his reasoning for taking the number 33 shirt. He said, per This is Anfield:

“It’s a number that I like, a number that is special to me. Funnily enough, way back when I made my debut as a professional, that was the number I was wearing back then.

“But it has a personal meaning for me as well, it has a meaning which is all to do with my faith and my relationship with Jesus and God and religion.

“It’s a subject I spoke about and had a good conversation about with my friends, my family, my partner and my parents. It’s a number I’m very pleased on a number of levels to be wearing.”

Araujo will be hoping to make his Liverpool debut when the Reds welcome Como to Anfield for their final pre-season friendly on Saturday.

Tottenham Hotspur are set to send one of Roberto De Zerbi’s youngsters out on loan, GIVEMESPORT sources understand.

The North London outfit are building a squad ready to compete for European qualification next season. High-profile arrivals such as Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes means the pathway to senior football for academy talent could prove difficult.

That’s why Spurs accepted an £8 million offer from Manchester United for English teenage attacker Tynan Thompson. Another youth star is headed for the exit door and gaining much-needed first-team opportunities.

Tottenham’s Yang Min-hyeok Headed For Fourth Loan

GIVEMESPORT understand that Tottenham are sending Yang Min-hyeok on loan to Belgian outfit Westerlo whom they have built a special relationship with over the years. The South Korean will become the third Spurs player to join the Jupiler Pro League club on loan after Alfie Devine and Luka Vuskovic previously spent time with the Belgians.

Yang has found game time hard to come by since joining Spurs back in the summer of 2024 for £3 million and hasn’t made a single appearance for the club. He spent the first half of last season on loan at Portsmouth in the EFL Championship and then joined eventual title winners Coventry City for the second half.

Before that, the 20-year-old joined Queens Park Rangers on loan in January 2025. He’s now set to join a fourth club even before making his senior debut for the Lilywhites.

Stats courtesy of SofaScore – correct as of 10/08/2026

Yang had shone in the K League before moving to North London, becoming the youngest goalscorer in the club’s history. He also earned a place in the 2024 K League 1 Team of the Year and his performances for Gangwon didn’t go unnoticed.

Tottenham transfer targets

Yang Needs to Shine at Westerlo

Tottenham and Yang will be hoping for a far more successful loan spell than the one that saw him play 29 minutes for Coventry. He missed the Sky Blues’ final 15 games of the Championship campaign as Frank Lampard’s side won the title.

Yang made just three appearances during that loan spell and it proved to be a clumsy decision from all parties involved. Westerlo could be an ideal destination for him to continue his development and look to rediscover his form shown in the K League.

That said, he fared reasonably well while at Portsmouth and impressed manager Jose Mousinho, who told BBC:

For Spurs, they will have a decision to make once he returns as he’ll be at an age where senior football should be on offer. He will be eager for regular game time at this stage of his career.

US President Donald Trump has issued a rare statement on FIFA’s under-fire leader Gianni Infantino.

European football’s governing body UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) are pushing for Infantino to resign, per The Guardian, after writing an open letter calling for “leadership that serves football, not seeks to command it”.

Infantino, FIFA’s president since 2016, is under significant pressure following his failed Football Forward Enterprise (FFE) scheme – which would have seen stakes in the World Cup sold to private investors had the plan not been thwarted.

A Telegraph investigation also alleges Infantino paid off a ‘mistress’ with a six-figure sum of money while he was working as UEFA’s general secretary. The Swiss-Italian administrator “strongly denies these categorically untrue allegations,” a FIFA spokesman has said.

However, the allegations may prompt UEFA to launch an investigation into Infantino’s conduct throughout the entirely of his 16 years with the organisation, according to the Telegraph.

FIFA issued a statement on Saturday evening defending Infantino, adding: “FIFA welcomes legitimate scrutiny. But scrutiny is not a licence to distort facts, amplify unsubstantiated allegations or manufacture distractions designed to undermine progress. Where reporting is inaccurate or misleading, FIFA will challenge it directly and vigorously.”

Trump Issues Strong Infantino Statement Via Truth Social

REUTERS/Leah Millis

Infantino has now received public support from Trump, who warns FIFA will be “making a terrible mistake” if they consider replacing their current president.

The US President says the World Cup “will never be as successful or profitable again” if Infantino leaves his role. The full statement, posted on Truth Social, from the 80-year-old reads:

Trump and Infantino Have Developed Close Bond

REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

Infantino developed a close bond with Trump in the build up to the 2026 World Cup finals.

It was Infantino who controversially handed Trump FIFA’s inaugural Peace Prize in December. Months later, during the 2026 World Cup, FIFA sparked outrage by suspending USMNT forward Folarin Balogun’s one-match suspension, following a red card, after Trump personally intervened.

Trump and Infantino handed the FIFA World Cup trophy to captain Rodri after Spain defeated Argentina in the World Cup final at the New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19.

And it’s been reported that Trump has lined up a lucrative new job for Infantino as secretary-general of the United Nations.

But for now, Trump is throwing his support behind Infantino as he clings to his $6 million-per-year (£4.5 million) job as FIFA president.