For the last few years, Ronald Araujo has been one of the most important parts of the Barcelona squad. The Uruguayan has been an integral part of the team’s backline and has proven himself to be one of the best defenders in the world with his performances for the Catalan club.
However, despite this importance for the team, his future at Barcelona is far from certain. He signed a renewal with the club only in 2022, which goes till 2026, and has a release clause of €1 billion, but is once again asking the Catalan club for an improved contract after having received offers from other clubs that have offered him significantly better wages.
In recent months, the Uruguayan has rejected some highly alluring offers from the Premier League and Bundesliga, with both Manchester United and Bayern Munich making strong bids for the player. Bayern unsuccessfully tried to incorporate the defender in their squad only in the last winter transfer window.
As Diario AS has noted, all this uncertainty surrounding his future has naturally led to a significant decline in the player’s performances on the pitch. This dip in form has cost Barcelona dearly.
This was particularly the case in the match between Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals.
In this match, Araujo’s expulsion for an unnecessary foul on Brady Barcola cost the Catalans a place in the semi-finals, even though they were the favorites to advance when the Uruguayan got the red card.
Similarly, the center-back was also far from his best in the team’s last match against Valencia in La Liga, a game they needed to win to secure the second spot in the league.
As things stand, the financial situation of Barcelona can force them to part ways with some of their key players, and with his high demand in the market, Araujo can be sold to generate the required sum of €100 million, that was expected to arrive the club’s coffers with the sale of some important assets.
