Premier League winners Liverpool have reportedly turned their attention to Benfica defender Tomas Araujo after losing Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid. Chelsea are also interested in signing the 23-year-old.
Tomas Araujo is one of the most highly-rated players in Portugal. His contract with the Eagles runs until June 30, 2029.
Liverpool can arrange for a premature release by triggering his £68 million release clause.
Liverpool Eyeing Move from Benfica Star Tomas Araujo After Missing Out on Dean Huijsen
After enjoying a breakout campaign with Bournemouth in 2024/25, Dean Huijsen became one of the most sought-after centre-backs in the world. Liverpool were one of the many European clubs interested in him, but Real Madrid succeeded in signing him. Los Blancos agreed to a £50 million deal for the 20-year-old. Real Madrid also robbed Liverpool of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who stunned the Reds by speaking fluent Spanish at his Madrid unveiling.
As per Portuguese outlet A Bola, Liverpool have moved on from Huijsen, identifying a worthy replacement in Tomas Araujo. Like Huijsen, Araujo is a confident tackler, carries the ball well, is good in the air, and has an excellent passing range. However, Araujo is likely to cost a fair bit more than the Spaniard.
🚨🦅 Tomás Araujo’s new contract at Benfica until June 2029 includes a release clause worth €80m.
Chelsea and PSG both considered Araújo last summer, Crystal Palace sent two bids… but Benfica never wanted to sell him. pic.twitter.com/2Bf914CAq5
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 17, 2024
According to A Bola, Benfica do not want to sell Araujo this summer. So, Liverpool may have to trigger his £68 million release clause to secure his services. It will be interesting to see if they can swing this deal after agreeing to buy Florian Wirtz for a British record fee. The Merseysiders have also signed Jeremie Frimpong for £29.6 million this summer.
In addition to the potential money crunch, Liverpool face strong competition from Chelsea. The Blues could table a formal offer after the FIFA Club World Cup.
Last season, Paris Saint-Germain and Crystal Palace tried to sign Araujo, but Benfica did not budge.
Dean Huijsen vs Tomas Araujo Stats Compared
According to the data from WhoScored, Dean Huijsen and Tomas Araujo both had excellent campaigns in 2024/25. The 20-year-old Huijsen had the edge in goals, assists, key passes per game, and aerial duels success rate, among others. Tomas Araujo, meanwhile, had better passing accuracy, won comfortably more tackles, and showed excellent dribbling ability.
Take a look at the table below for a quick comparison between Huijsen and Tomas Araujo.
| Stat Category | Dean Huijsen (Bournemouth) | Tomas Araujo (Benfica) |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 3 | 1 |
| Assists | 2 | 2 |
| Key Passes per Game | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Tackles per Game | 1.1 | 2.5 |
| Dribbles per Game | 0.1 | 0.5 |
| Interceptions per Game | 1.6 | 1.0 |
| Clearances per Game | 6.1 | 1.5 |
| Blocks per Game | 0.9 | 0.4 |
| Fouls per Game | 1.1 | 0.9 |
| Minutes Played | 2422 (32 Games) | 2321 (28 Games) |
Huijsen is expected to make his FIFA Club World Cup debut with Real Madrid against Al Hilal on June 18. Tomas Araujo, meanwhile, has not been included in Benfica’s FIFA Club World Cup squad after suffering an ankle injury. He should be back on the training pitch by the end of June.
