Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has been the subject of no shortage of speculation in recent months, after it emerged that Bayern Munich were interested in signing one of the Blaugrana’s top defenders. In spite of their economic necessities, the latest in Catalonia is that they will retain the Uruguayan.
Previously it has been reported that Barcelona would listen to offers for Araujo that came close to €100m, which Bayern and unnamed Premier League sides are willing to offer. Meanwhile, Barcelona have been in contract talks with Araujo for several months in order to improve his deal and extend it beyond 2026.
🚨 Barca plans to pursue Bernardo Silva this summer if their FFP situation improves and they adhere to the 1:1 rule. Laporta plans to use the same formula as in the Vitor Roque deal. @DBR8 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/eZRQAPrdkr
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 8, 2024
As per Sport, President Joan Laporta is proving key in their attempts to renew Araujo, and it is he who is pushing hardest to retain the 24-year-old. The centre-back is happy to remain in Catalonia, but wants to see his contract improved to adequately reflect his importance. He has reportedly expressed a desire to remain in Barcelona and find an agreement with said improvement to his agents.
The key date that has emerged was the 6th of March, when Laporta met with Araujo’s agents and Sporting Director Deco in order to discuss his renewal, and he made it clear he was keen to extend his deal. Araujo had not had any confirmation of the offer from Barcelona, but Laporta ensured that the documents for the offer were sent to Araujo and his agents swiftly.
Ultimately, they still need to find an agreement on the numbers, but if the report is accurate, then at the very least, the intentions are there to do so. On the other hand, Barcelona will likely be forced to consider sales for Andreas Christensen and Jules Kounde as a result, in order to raise cash. It could also mean a major reduction in terms of what Barcelona were hoping to spend in the transfer market, as a large sale for Araujo was one of the few that could have made a significant impact on their accounts.
Personally i would take renewing this giant and leader of a man over any signing barca are thinking of bringing in this summer that’s how important and valuable i see this guy theres no other cb in world football today with his raw power & pace imo only thing he can improve on is his passing thankfully laporta seems to agree on his importance aswel.