The Catalan club announced a new contract with the Uruguayan international after months of fierce negotiations.
The soap opera about the future of Ronald Araújo has finally come to an end. No further developments are expected in the short to medium term. However, the defender has the option to negotiate a move away under the terms of his new contract, so we'll see.
The Uruguayan defender extended with Barcelona until June 2031 and signed his new contract this afternoon in the presence of Joan Laporta, Rafa Yuste, vice-president of sport and sports director Deco. What's interesting is that the club has not revealed any details about the termination clause in this new deal.
Interest in Araújo in Italy and England
The negotiations between the two sides have been long and difficult. Araújo's previous contract expired in 2026, and Barcelona tried to use their delicate economic situation to get the best possible result for the club. That did not go down well with the player's agents, who were quick to point out interest from Juventus, at least two Premier League clubs and Bayern Munich.
Araújo joined Barcelona from Boston River in August 2018 for a reported fee of $1.8 million plus $3.8 million in variables. He spent his first two seasons playing for the B team, making his senior debut in the 4–0 home win against Sevilla on 6 October 2019.
His growth since then has been spectacular and while he may never have a profile like that of Piqué or Cubarsí, his qualities make him a very useful centre-back for Barcelona's style of play. A great marker with positional awareness, pace and anticipation – as Real Madrid winger Vinicius can verify.
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