FC Barcelona continues working on its sporting and financial planning for next season. With the goal of closing key signings such as Nico Williams, the club needs to generate revenue and free up wage bill space. In this context, Joan Laporta and Deco are already analyzing possible major departures in order to balance the books without weakening Hansi Flick's team.
In defense, the German coach has started to make key decisions. Flick has internally communicated which center-backs he wants to count on: Pau Cubarsí, Íñigo Martínez, Andreas Christensen, and Eric Garcia. In that sense, others, such as Ronald Araújo, are left out of his plans, and that has set off the alarm both in the locker room and in the offices.
Returns to the exit ramp
Even though a few weeks ago it was leaked that Araújo wouldn't leave this summer, everything seems to have changed once again. Hansi Flick has directly told the center-back that if he decides to stay, he'll be behind several teammates in the rotation. The disappointment with his performance and his physical problems have weighed too heavily.
It's no wonder: last season was the weakest for the Uruguayan center-back since he joined the first team. Therefore, Flick has been blunt and has made it clear that if Ronald doesn't find a way out, he'll only get minutes in case of emergency. The club believes that the most sensible thing is to look for a destination for him before the transfer window closes, both for sporting and financial reasons.
Barça opens doors
It's no lie that a sale would help finance the signings demanded by the new sporting project. Therefore, and according to the latest reports, the Catalan club has reportedly given a deadline until July 10 for Araújo to find a way out. The sporting management has set a price of €60 million, a figure that would allow them to trigger Nico Williams's clause, but nothing has been decided or finalized yet.
Several teams already explored his situation in January, there are expected to be more moves in the coming weeks. Ronald Araújo's case is complex: his market value has dropped considerably and the club fears that remaining relegated to the bench will only further devalue his price. With a valid contract and few guaranteed minutes, now it will be the Uruguayan who must decide whether to accept a change of scenery or, on the contrary, face a season with little prominence.