Barcelona Transfer News Roundup: Blaugrana eyeing Portuguese duo stay; Ronald Araujo not looking to leave, and more - December 10, 2023
Barcelona host Girona at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Sunday (December 10) in La Liga. Xavi's men are four points behind the leading pair of Real Madrid and Girona after 15 games.
Meanwhile, the Blagurana are eager to keep the on-loan pair of Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix at the Camp Nou beyond the season. Elsewhere, centre-back Ronald Araujo is not planning to leave the La Liga champions.
On that note, here's a look at the key Barcelona transfer stories as on December 10, 2023:
Barcelona eyeing Portuguese duo stay
Barcelona will try to keep both Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo at the Camp Nou beyond their loan deals, club president Joan Laporta has confirmed.
Felix joined this summer from Atletico Madrid, while Cancelo arrived from Manchester City. Both players have become key figures under Xavi at the club, prompting talks of a permanent stay.
While on a visit to Dubai, as cited by AS, Laporta said that the La Liga champions will start negotiations for the Portuguese duo soon.
"Cancelo and Felix have been playing at a very high level since they arrived. The club could keep them for the next few seasons. We plan to start negotiations for them soon. We have good relationships with Manchester City and Atletico Madrid," said Laporta.
Cancelo has appeared 17 times across competitions this season under Xavi, registering three goals and two assists. Felix, meanwhile, has five goals and three assists in 17 games across competitions.
Ronald Araujo not looking to leave
Ronald Araujo wants to stay at Barcelona, despite interest from Bayern Munich, according to acclaimed transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.
The Uruguayan defender is a first-team regular at the Camp Nou and has gone from strength to strength under Xavi in recent seasons. His efforts have apparently turned heads at the Allianz Arena.
In his column for Caught Offside, Romano admitted that the Bavarians admire Araujo.
“I want to start today’s column by again clarifying my information on the Ronald Araujo situation.
"While it’s true that he’s a player Bayern Munich really like, with Thomas Tuchel really insisting for the signing, this is far from a straightforward deal for them," wrote Romano.
However, Romano added that the Blaugrana have no desire to let Araujo leave at the moment.
"As things stand, my understanding remains that Araujo’s priority is to stay at Barcelona, while Barca also consider him a key player, so talks over a new contract will happen soon.
"Araujo is ready to discuss a new deal with Barca, so they are on the same page, and that’s what I expect will happen," wrote Romano.
He continued:
“Of course, Araujo is a top player, so it’s normal that a big club like Bayern would be interested, but there has never really been any change to the situation, despite reports.
"The message from the player’s camp has always been that he’s very happy at Barca, so let’s see now how contract talks will progress – it’s one of the priorities for the Barca board.”
Araujo turned down a colossal offer from Manchester United in the summer of 2022, according to SPORT.
Blaugrana not planning to sign a new goalkeeper in January
Barcelona will not sign a new goalkeeper in January to help cover for Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Xavi has confirmed.
The German custodian picked up a back injury last month and has undergone surgery to address the issue. Ter Stegen is expected to miss two months of action, prompting talks of reinforcements in the winter.
However, speaking to the press ahead of Sunday's game, as cited by 90 Min, Xavi said that the club are rooting for the German's swift return.
"It's not an option to sign a goalkeeper. We're confident with what we have. We trust Marc will recover soon," said Xavi.
Inaki Pena has covered admirably for Ter Stegen in recent games.