Joan Laporta reiterates his desire to retain €70m Barcelona star

BARCELONA, SPAIN - APRIL 17: FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta gives a press conference in response to recent allegations over payments made to referees by the club, at Spotify Camp Nou on April 17, 2023 in Barcelona, Spain. UEFA and Spanish authorities are investigating Barcelona over the payment of millions of euros to the company of Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, the former vice-president of Spanish football's refereeing committee. If found guilty, UEFA's investigation could lead to a Champions League ban for the club.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images

Although the results have not entirely been in their favor this season, there is no doubt that the current team assembled by FC Barcelona is a highly promising one, which can go on to fight for important titles for years to come with some minor tweaks.

There are several players in Xavi’s squad, who are still young and who are integral to the long-term project of the club. However, owing to the strained finances of the Catalan entity, some of these players have been linked with moves away from the club in the last few months.

One such player is the defender Ronald Araujo, who has been the subject of strong interest from the German club Bayern Munich. The Germans put in two offers for the Uruguayan in the last winter transfer window, but none of these was accepted by the Catalans.

Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, has also always publicly declared his intention to keep Ronald Araujo at the club for years to come, and as Mundo Deportivo has reported, he reiterated this desire in a media talk while attending the premiere of the “Origins” documentary focused on Araujo himself.

When asked if he would renew the defender, the President answered: “For me, for life.”

Laporta was also full of praise for Araujo’s contributions on and off the pitch: “I won’t discover Ronald’s professional humanity, who is one of the best center-backs in the world, but what I do want to emphasize is his commitment to the club.”

“Ronald has had a very strong commitment from the first moment, both on and off the field, in training, with his teammates, with the staff, and I will say that for Barça, it is a great pride to have players like you who defend the colors of Barça as you do. I can’t go further here, because the documentary will serve to show that he is such an extraordinary and human person.”

There were other high-profile individuals also present at the premiere, including Vice President Rafa Yuste and Sporting Director Deco. Xavi Hernandez also attended the event, along with some players including Gavi, Cancelo, Felix, and Raphinha.

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