Virgil van Dijk has said he is ready to welcome Ronald Araújo as a new centre-back partner at Liverpool, with the Barcelona defender's loan move to Anfield close to completion. The Dutch captain made his first pre-season appearance in almost an hour of action as Liverpool were beaten 3-2 by Monaco, having led 2-0, with Van Dijk conceding a penalty that Aleksandr Golovin converted before half-time.

Liverpool are bolstering a defence already missing Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni, while new £50m signing Jérémy Jacquet remains out after an injury-hit end to last season at Rennes, though Van Dijk hopes to see him back on the pitch soon. The club are also weighing further attacking additions, including interest in Paris Saint-Germain's Bradley Barcola, ahead of the 1 September transfer deadline. Van Dijk also addressed the club's transition following Arne Slot's sacking, saying he has held regular talks with new head coach Andoni Iraola and pledged his full support as the team adapts to new training methods.