According to a report from SPORT, Barcelona’s manager, Hansi Flick, has made it clear that he wants Ronald Araujo to remain at the club as he sees Araujo as essential to his plans, prompting the club to restart talks about renewing his contract.
It is to be noted that Araujo’s situation has changed significantly since Flick’s arrival.
Previously, it seemed likely that Araujo might leave the club, but Flick’s strong support for him has shifted the club’s priorities. The German manager has emphasised that the Uruguayan centre-back is a crucial part of his strategy and must be retained.
In his initial meetings with Barcelona’s sports department, Flick insisted that Araujo, who is under contract until 2026, should not be sold, despite receiving numerous lucrative offers from other clubs.
Araujo is important for Flick
Flick explained that Araujo is vital to his system because he needs fast defenders with excellent recovery skills to play an advanced defensive style.
He suggested that if the club needed to offload a defender due to the excess of players in that position, it should be anyone but Araujo.
After listening to Flick, Barcelona decided to restart the renewal negotiations for Araujo. These talks had been put on hold because the club had received very attractive offers for him.
Major European clubs like Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and Chelsea were keenly interested and willing to pay up to €80 million for Araujo.
Araujo was feeling a lack of support
The offers that Barcelona received were tempting, and even former coach, Xavi, was prepared to let Araujo go if necessary.
However, after Flick’s firm stance, Barcelona have now ruled out selling Araujo. Now, it is up to the Uruguayan player to make his next move.
During the period when his contract renewal was on hold, Araujo felt criticised and singled out, especially after his red card against Paris Saint-Germain, which led to Barcelona’s elimination from the competition.
Initially, Araujo wanted to stay at Barcelona and extend his contract, but he was hurt by the lack of support from some teammates. This situation made him consider the significant offers he received from other clubs.
Now, with Flick’s clear support, the situation has changed, and there is a possibility of reaching an agreement for him to stay. However, financial differences still need to be resolved in the negotiations.
It is said that Barcelona are aiming to finalise the agreement by next June, but they face challenges in registering a new contract for Araujo due to financial fair play regulations.
