BARCELONA, SPAIN - JULY 25: New FC Barcelona Head Coach Hansi Flick, Joan Laporta, president of FC Barcelona pose for a photo at Spotify Camp Nou on July 25, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain.

Sources: Hansi Flick has asked Joan Laporta to ensure the continuity of a key Barcelona defender

Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images

Although there was not a lot of movement expected in the FC Barcelona squad in this January transfer window, the Catalan club’s return to the 1:1 rule can change things significantly.

Recent reports coming from the club indicate that they are now open to parting ways with some of their players, in order to bring in some urgent reinforcements for Hansi Flick in January.

In such a context, one important player who has been strongly linked with a move away from the Blaugrana side is the defender Ronald Araujo. In the last few days, there have been a lot of reports associating him with Juventus, while he is also being pursued by Arsenal.

While Barcelona would have been open to parting ways with him only a few days ago, mainly because of his reluctance to agree to the new contract that they have offered him and his current contract ends in 2026, the injury suffered by Inigo Martinez in the Spanish Super Cup final against Real Madrid can alter their plans.

According to Fichajes, this is what Hansi Flick wants, who has already asked the president, Joan Laporta, to ensure the continuity of Araujo in his team following Martinez’s injury that will keep the Spaniard out for around a month.

Flick will have other options to replace the former Athletic Club defender, but Andreas Christensen is still recovering from his tendinopathy while Eric Garcia is not trusted a lot by the coaching staff. Thus, Araujo is the ideal candidate to replace Martinez in the starting lineup.

In these circumstances, the Barcelona Sporting Director, Deco, is expected to hold a meeting with the Uruguayan defender in the coming days to solve this impasse. Meanwhile, the player’s agent values the Catalan club’s commitment, but wants a significant improvement in the terms offered to the player.

Tags Ronald Araujo