Earlier this month, Barcelona confirmed that Ronald Araujo had signed a new deal, albeit this agreement saw his release clause drop significantly. It had been €1bn in his previous contract, but now, it has been reported to be just €65m.
However, there are multiple catches that have added in by Barcelona. This week, it was claimed that the release clause is only at this amount for the first few days of the summer transfer window, and now new information has been released by Relevo, who say that clubs in the Champions League elite are not able to sign the Uruguayan defender for €65m under any circumstance.
Rather, the asking price that those clubs would need to pay is more in the region of €300-400m, which is an amount that would be deemed unaffordable by many, which was Barcelona’s goal when drawing up the agreement.
This is a blow to clubs like Arsenal and Juventus, both of whom had been linked with signing Araujo before he committed his future to Barcelona. These catches in the release clause make it very possible for clubs in the Saudi Pro League to make a move for the 25-year-old, although he is very unlikely to be willing to move to the Middle East at this stage of his career.
Barcelona were desperate to ensure that Araujo signed a new contract, as they see him and Pau Cubarsi as their long-term central defensive partnership. The pair have been playing together in recent weeks, and the Catalans have yet to lose when they have been in the same line-up.
It remains to be seen how Araujo’s situation plays out over the summer, but if these reports are accurate, it makes it very tough for any of Europe’s elite to sign him. Given that it is these clubs that would be able to tempt him away from Barcelona, it makes it more likely that he will remain in Catalonia.
