The contract negotiations around Ousmane Dembélé are not over yet or ASH already foresees another problem for Barcelona. The Catalans would like to extend with Ronald Araújo, but that will not go without a fight. The central defender, who also wants to continue longer at Barcelona, wants to be valued the same as Ansu Fati, Pedri and Ferran Torres. “Araújo’s contract extension could become torture,” writes the Spanish sports newspaper.
Barcelona have been associated with several central defenders in recent weeks. Andreas Christensen, Niklas Süle and Matthias Ginter all passed in review. It should serve as a warning to Araújo, writes ASH. It indicates that the Catalan powerhouse is looking for defensive reinforcements, while the club already has six centre-backs in its ranks: Araújo, Gerard Pique, Eric García, Samuel Umtiti, Óscar Mingueza and Clément Lenglet. The latter three are expected to be nominated to leave next year.
The search for a new central defender signals a restructuring within the Catalan formation, writes ASH. Pique and Eric Garcia do not have to fear for their place. That is what people think of Araújo. The Uruguayan earns only 900,000 euros at Barcelona, considerably lower than the other center defenders. Mateu Alemany will therefore have to roll up his sleeves during the negotiations, as Araújo knows that he is facing the first major contract in his career and can thus secure his future financially. The defender likes to continue at Barcelona, but wants to be appreciated enough
Araújo puts himself in line with the other central defenders who earn much more. Players like Lenglet and Umtiti have much higher salaries and have been less prominent in the last two years. Several Spanish media outlets have announced that Araújo’s advocacy groups will arrive in Barcelona this week to kick-start negotiations, but it doesn’t look like an agreement will be reached anytime soon. Araújo’s contract extension is considered a priority after the extensions of Pedri and Ansu Fati and the signing of Ferran Torres.
Araújo has already hinted several times that he would like to stay longer at Barcelona. He kissed the club logo on the shirt in the semifinal of the Supercopa against Real Madrid. On the other hand, he knows his value, which by Transfermarkt is currently estimated at EUR 35 million. Sule and Christensen have the same market value. The value of Ginter is estimated at 24 million euros. Barcelona took over Araújo from Boston River in the summer of 2018 for 1.7 million euros, an amount that can rise to five million euros due to variables.