With players like Kounde, Christensen, Martinez, and Araujo, the central defensive line of FC Barcelona is set for some years to come. Two of the defenders, Kounde and Araujo, are only entering their primes, and Martinez and Christensen also have some years left in them.
However, the football market dynamics can quickly change things, as the Catalan club experienced with the departures of players like Neymar and Dembele in recent years.
While a move looked highly improbable, there was news of strong interest from Bayern Munich in one of these defenders, Ronald Araujo. As per the report, the Bavarian club undertook contact with the player through its head coach and its Sporting Director, trying to convince him to move, preferably in January or in the summer at the latest.
However, according to SPORT, the Uruguayan defender’s entourage has already denied any truth behind such news, and they claim that Araujo has not been in contact with Tuchel. Furthermore, sources close to the German coach, Thomas Tuchel, have also denied that any such conversation took place between the two parties.
Araujo has a contract with Barcelona that goes till 2026, and the player has publicly shown his commitment and passion for the Blaugrana club several times in his career. Thus, it would not be easy to convince him for a move.
His readiness to play in the upcoming match against Girona despite the facial fracture is the latest proof of his love for the Catalan club.
Still, if Bayern succeeds in this first step, they will also have to pay a very high transfer fee for the defender. Araujo’s release clause is set at €1 billion, and his market value currently lies at €70 million as per Transfermarket.
Thus, the transfer operation already looked an extremely difficult one for the Bavarians, and this denial from Araujo’s entourage further dampens any possibility of such a move taking place.
