Araujo is happy at Barça. He feels important in the team and, according to his surroundings, he sees himself as one of the possible “leaders” of the new batch of young players who are excited about Barcelona. “He feels very identified with Barça,” they said. This does not change, however, that the contractual and salary situation of the footballer is far from the prominence he is having with the first team. And, in this sense, the representatives of the player and the Barça club have set out to find an understanding to improve the bond of Rivera’s defender, which ends in 2023. Its emergence has attracted the attention of several top clubs. and has aroused the interest of Premier League teams such as Manchester United and Chelsea. His clause is 200 million euros (he automatically went from 100 to 200 when, last year, he was registered as a first team player), but the fact that his contract expires next season feeds the siren songs.
Barça are confident of the Uruguayan’s desire to continue as a Barça player, but he knows that he will have to make a financial effort to improve his contract conditions and adapt them to his role in the first team. Saving the differences between the two is what the club already had to do with Ansu Fati, who also had Manchester United behind him, but the entity managed to renew its franchise player thanks to the conviction it had to continue as a Barça player and improve his contract – also playing with bonuses, given the difficult situation in relation to fair play salary-. With the Spanish-Guinean and also Pedri renewed this year, the priority will now be to shield Araujo in addition to Gavi, who also ends his contract in 2023.
Scheduled meeting with Roberto
While the series with Ousmane Dembélé remains entrenched in the face of the Frenchman’s refusals, the club is also confident of advancing this week in another renewal: that of Sergi Roberto. The player’s and Barça’s representatives have not met for more than a month and have resumed their contacts after the holidays. The forecast, with no specific date yet agreed, is to meet again this week. The fourth Barça captain, currently injured, had long agreed on a reduction and deferral of salary similar to that applied to Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, but in order for these measures to be carried out he would have to renew a contract ending on next June.
