FC Barcelona's sports management faces a summer market full of uncertainties and urgent needs. Although the team has shown a more solid version under Flick's leadership, the club is still obliged to balance the books and make strategic decisions, especially in overcrowded positions. One of these is defense, with names like Pau Cubarsí, Iñigo Martínez, Christensen, Eric García, and Ronald Araújo himself fighting for minutes.
With so many top-level center-backs, it was logical for Barça to consider a sale to lighten the squad and generate income. Among them all, Araújo appeared as the most valuable card: international, young, experienced in major events, and sought after by European giants. However, the plans have taken an unexpected turn.
Araújo steps up
Ronald Araújo has made it clear that he doesn't want to leave Camp Nou, even though his name has been one of the most mentioned in internal meetings due to his market value. The Uruguayan center-back has communicated that his intention is to stay and fulfill his contract. His decision is firm, and he doesn't contemplate any scenario other than continuing to fight for a place in Barça's starting eleven.
This gesture, which may seem loyal from an emotional standpoint, poses a headache for Deco. The Portuguese sporting director counted on his departure as one of the key sales of the summer, an operation that would have injected more than 60 million into the club's coffers. With that money, Barça hoped to strengthen strategic positions like the goalkeeper, defensive pivot, and left winger.
Flick doesn't see him as untouchable
Another factor complicating Araújo's continuity was the new coach's own technical evaluation. Hansi Flick values his intensity and leadership, but doesn't consider him indispensable. He prefers center-backs with a more refined ball-playing ability, and in that aspect, Cubarsí, Iñigo, and Christensen have shown more consistency.
Araújo has made occasional mistakes that have cost him minutes in decisive matches. That doesn't mean he's out of the plans: Flick considers him, but without guarantees of a starting position. In fact, he had given the green light to a sale if a good offer came along, but with Araújo determined to stay, the coach will have to manage a complex rotation in the defense.