Barcelona ready to sell star player if they get offers close to €100 million - Reports
Barcelona are prepared to sell Ronald Araujo if they receive an offer close to €100 million this summer, according to ESPN.
The La Liga giants signed Araujo from Uruguayan club Boston River for an initial sum of €1.7 million in 2018. After initially spending time with the Catalan outfit's reserves team, he made his senior debut in a 4-0 league win against Sevilla in 2019.
Araujo has since established himself as a key player for Barcelona, making 143 appearances across competitions. The central defender's contributions were notably rewarded with a new contract in 2022 of which two more years remain.
The Uruguay international was also instrumental in the team's La Liga triumph last season, helping them keep 16 clean sheets in 22 games. With his influence continuing to rise, he was announced as one of the club's captains ahead of the current campaign.
However, it appears that Araujo is facing an uncertain future at Camp Nou ahead of the summer transfer window. As per the aforementioned source, Barcelona are ready to cash in on the 25-year-old if they receive an offer close to €100 million.
The Blaugrana may be forced to sell Araujo as they need to raise funds this summer. They face this conundrum because they have spent almost €200 million more than their €204 million annual spending cap imposed by La Liga.
Barcelona hope to offload fringe players first to ease their situation but recognize that they might have to sell one of their top stars. Araujo is considered one of their most marketable players considering his age and caliber.
Bayern Munich expressed an interest in signing Araujo in January and there are suggestions that they could return for him in the summer. At least one Premier League club are keeping tabs on the Uruguayan's situation as well.
Barcelona previously considered selling Frenkie de Jong
This is not the first time Barcelona have considered selling one of their best-performing stars. In 2022, they agreed to sell Frenkie de Jong to Manchester United to ease their financial situation. However, the plan did not come to fruition as the midfielder refused to leave.
The Blaugrana reluctantly let Lionel Messi leave on a free transfer in 2021 for similar reasons as well. Their financial constraints meant that they could not afford to hand him a new contract. The Argentinian went on to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Xavi's side have Jules Kounde, Andreas Christensen and Inigo Martinez in their ranks. Their options at the back have also been boosted by Pau Cubarsi's emergence this season. This could also be why they are prepared to sell Araujo.