Vincent Kompany would have made clear to the Bayern Munich board the need to sign another central defender in 2025. According to the latest information from Germany, the coach has set his sights on Ronald Araújo to fill a position that has been giving the Munich team many headaches. in the last three seasons.
The Bavarians incorporated the Japanese Iroki Ito and the British Eric Dier in the last market, but both have counted for very little in the Belgian coach's plans. This has meant that the duo made up of Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-Jae remain in the XI, despite their irregularity both in the Bundesliga and in Europe.
That is why Kompany insists on signing a top centre-back and Araújo's profile is ideal for the Munich scheme. The Bayern board already tried to take over the 'Charrúa' last season, receiving a resounding "no" from a FC Barcelona that prioritizes ensuring the future of all its references.
Bayern will seek to take advantage of Araújo's possible replacement in Barcelona
However, Ronald's long period of inactivity, along with the great level shown by Pau Cubarsí and Iñigo Martínez in the first three months of 2024/25, could be a factor that benefits Bavarian interests when negotiating for the Uruguayan international starting January 1.
Barça plans to return the '4' at the end of November, with a plan similar to the one implemented with Gavi. Hansi Flick's idea is to increase the number of minutes as the footballer recovers his physical strength, although the high level of the two Barcelona centre-backs may significantly limit the Uruguayan's opportunities in the coming weeks.
The December and January calendar, overloaded by the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup, in addition to the pending Champions League matches and League matches, gives significant margin for rotations. However, Araújo has promised to return "like a bull" and, if he is condemned to a secondary role, it would not be unreasonable for him to ask to leave in the summer. If this scenario occurs, Bayern will seek to negotiate his transfer for a lower price.
Barça will not lower its economic aspirations for Ronald Araújo
However, the Barça board does not plan, by any means, to give away an Araújo for whom it has already ruled out offers in the order of 100 million euros at the beginning of 2024. Although the 'Uruguayan' has lost weight in the squad, the Barça still considers the '4' as one of its references and, in fact, the idea is to renew him in the coming months, since his contract ends in 2026.
Despite his long absence, Rivera's player maintains a market value of 70 'kilos' on Transfermarkt. His termination clause, like other culés 'cracks', is €1,000M. In that sense, it seems unlikely that the club will agree to let him go for an amount less than €100M. In any case, his future will depend on his performance in the second half of the season, as well as the resolution of his contractual situation.