Barcelona will reportedly now listen to offers for players in the January transfer window, with the club potentially willing to bid farewell to various players this winter. Centre-back Ronald Araujo was not supposedly one of them, but for a second January in a row, he is to be the subject of an attempt to extract him from the Catalan capital.
According to GdS (via Sport), Juventus are set to make an offer for Araujo in the coming days. They will attempt to loan the Uruguayan with an obligatory buy clause at the end of the season for a significant fee, but it is noted by the Catalan daily that Barcelona are not interested in the idea. Juventus would offer to take charge of his entire salary too.
The Fernández cousins, Toni and Guille, have a good chance of being called up for the trip to Saudi Arabia. @bonagerman
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) January 6, 2025
They say that the offer will arrive this week, and it is not yet clear whether Araujo has been party to the approach. Equally, Barcelona will not allow Araujo to leave on a free: he is out of contract in 2026, and the Catalan giants are attempting to negotiate a new deal, but if they cannot, then they will attempt to sell him this summer.
Manchester United and Bayern Munich continue to monitor Araujo’s situation, and while Barcelona continue with their insistence that they want him to stay, there are circumstances that could impact his future. One of those is whether Araujo wins a starting spot back from Inigo Martinez, another is his contract situation, and a third is the potential arrival of Jonathan Tah, who is close to an agreeement to sign on a free this summer.
#FCBarcelona will listen to offers for players this January. Previously, they were not considering any moves, but now they can sign replacements, Sporting Director Deco will consider exits. (Sport) pic.twitter.com/xINKgIic60
— Football España (@footballespana_) January 6, 2025
In addition, MD also back up the idea that Araujo is on Juventus’ agenda, but add that Andreas Christensen is another name that the two clubs could discuss. The Danish international is another potential exit, although most reports say this is more likely to occur in the summer.
In more recent times, the 25-year-old defender has reportedly been closer to a renewal than this time last year, but equally, he has been underlined as a potential sacrifice as Barcelona’s finances groan. Araujo was a guaranteed starter before his injury in the summer, but the arrival of Tah, and the presumed continuity of Martinez and Pau Cubarsi suggest Barcelona are preparing for changes in their backline.
/https%3A%2F%2Fsportsmole-media-prod.s3.gra.io.cloud.ovh.net%2F25%2F10%2Fraphinha_1.jpg?w=120&resize=120,86&ssl=1 "Raphinha, Gavi, Fermin, Balde updates: Barca injury")
