Barcelona set for showdown talks with Ronald Araujo – false move could see Bayern Munich sign him

Barcelona are walking a tightrope when it comes to the future of star defender Ronald Araujo. The Uruguayan defender is the subject of serious interest from Bayern Munich, and if the Blaugrana are not careful, he will pursue that option.

Bayern are convinced they can get a deal done for Araujo, as per Sport, and have made it clear on multiple occasions that they want to make him their star signing. After several years struggling to get the most out of their defensive signings, Araujo has been selected as their top target, as has been agreed with Thomas Tuchel.

The deal would done for around €100m, and Bayern are willing to more than double his salary in order to get it done. They also feel that if they wait Barcelona out this summer, who need to make sales, then the Blaugrana will end up giving in and accepting an offer for Araujo. In desperate need of funds, if they cannot sell other players for sufficient money, Bayern feel their Araujo pursuit will eventually make sense to Barcelona.

The crucial factor could well come down to Deco. Araujo signed his current deal until 2026 at a much lower wage than he could have earned elsewhere in order to help the club, but now as the lowest-paid central defender of the four in the squad, despite being the best-performing over the last 18 months, he feels he deserves a significant rise. Bearing in mind Barcelona are not in a good financial situation, a low-ball offer from Deco will be taken as an indication that Barcelona are happy to sell him to Bayern.

Earlier reports say that Araujo was open to a move to Bayern, and the Catalan daily say that while Araujo is happy in Barcelona, he feels it is time they made a gesture of their appreciation.

Certainly it seems Barcelona are over the barrel, and their only way of holding onto Araujo comes via making other lucrative sales. The Uruguayan defender is not only their best defender, but also a fan favourite and one of the few leaders Barcelona have in their squad. Losing him could be traumatic for the Blaugrana.