Despite being one of the most important and valuable players in the current FC Barcelona squad, the future of the defender, Ronald Araujo, is far from certain at the Catalan club.
The player has a contract till 2026 with the Blaugranes, and this contract includes a release clause of €1 billion, which puts Barcelona firmly in control of the player for now, but the defender has received clear interest from some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Bayern Munich and Manchester United.
Araujo has already rejected a move to Munich in the last winter window, and is willing to stay on at Barcelona, but is demanding an improvement in his current contract.
However, according to SPORT, the Catalans are not going to lose their heads to ensure his continuity, and although they are willing to make an effort to renew his current contract, they have also made it clear to the defender that they will not be able to offer the wages that other clubs in the Premier League or Bundesliga can offer.
Thus, they have asked the defender to make sacrifices to renew with the club, while also letting him know that they consider him to be a very important player, and reminding him that they made a bet on him when they signed him from the Uruguayan club, Boston River, for €1.7 million back in 2018.
For now, Barcelona have told Araujo that he has two options on the table. Either he can accept the renewal offer without a significant increase in his wages, or he can present the club with an offer in the €90-100 million range to be able to leave. In either case, Barcelona will not take any drastic steps to retain the defender.
Araujo is currently focused on his Copa America campaign with Uruguay, after having won his first match of the competition against Panama but having suffered a knock which kept him from being able to return to the field after the half-time break.
