Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has made it clear that if it were up to him, central defender Ronald Araujo would remain at the club this summer without question. The Blaugrana have been in contract talks with Araujo for months now, but there has been no sign of a deal being reached as of yet.
Araujo was heavily linked with Bayern Munich in January, and has been attracting interest from the Premier League too. His deal is up in 2026, but if the Blaugrana cannot reach a deal on a new contract, the sentiment is that he will be sold. President Joan Laporta is seemingly desperate to see him stay though, and the latest is that their most recent offer has been sent to Araujo.
“Ronald, I already said that he is a very important footballer for the present and the future of Barcelona. I don’t see him anywhere else and he has to stay, 100%.”
One of the defenders that has also been linked with an exit, in part due to his frustration at being used as a right-back, is Jules Kounde. Xavi had more praise for the Frenchman, and gave little important to ‘where’ in the defence Kounde plays.
“I’m very excited about Jules. It was an almost personal signing of mine. He’s one of the best defenders at the moment. He has many qualities, he’s a leader, he reads the game, he has a lot of quality. The job of stopping [Kylian] Mbappe was more of a collective effort. Jules is a lot to do with it, but Ronald, Sergi Roberto moved across a lot, Lamine Yamal with the covering runs… we were very supportive, and very generous.”
Xavi: "Vitor Roque? Tomorrow he will surely have minutes."
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“Kounde has to be a Barca defender. It doesn’t matter where and how many we play with. He is a defender and he is there to help the team like everyone else. And that has become clear.”
With few players ruled out of sales this summer for the Blaugrana, both will be watched closely in the summer, as Premier League sides perhaps sense an opportunity to pick up quality players on cheaper deals.
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