"No" emphatic: FC Barcelona halts Juventus' interest in Araujo

The FC Barcelona board has no intention of selling Ronald Araujo in the winter market. At least not for a low price. This week, Juventus made an offer for the 'Uruguayan' center-back that quickly received an emphatic "no" from Barça. According to 'Mundo Deportivo', the 'bianconeri' proposal was well below the financial aspirations of the azulgrana team for the '4'.

Barça ruled out selling Araujo in January 2024 for around 80 million euros, a figure that Bayern Munich was willing to pay for the player from Rivera. A similar offer from Juve would surely have tempted Barcelona this year, but the Italians were betting on a much smaller operation, close to 30 'kilos', stemming from a loan for six months with an obligatory purchase option.

Previously, 'La Gazzetta dello Sport' had reported at the beginning of the week that Ronald had given the "yes" to the Turin team. However, his agent, Andrés Espinosa, made it clear that his client prioritizes renewing with Barça, although he admitted to an approach with Juventus and other European clubs. Besides the team managed by Thiago Motta, Arsenal has also been mentioned as a possible destination for the azulgrana defender.

Barça has a clear market plan with Ronald Araujo

In the case of the 'gunners', no formal proposal has been leaked yet. Araujo has a contract in effect until June 2026 and his release clause remains at 1 billion euros. The Uruguayan international knows he will have to work very hard to regain his starting position in the team managed by Hansi Flick. Hence, several clubs are trying to convince him to change scenery in January, beyond the love that the defender feels for the Catalan team.

Beyond this context, Ronald, despite the injuries that have hampered his performance in recent seasons, remains one of the leaders in the locker room and a reference for the squad. In that sense, the club also considers his renewal a priority and does not plan to force his departure in the coming months. If his contract extension is not resolved, logically, the center-back will enter the list of transferables, although a transfer for a price below 70 million euros is completely ruled out for the moment.