Barcelona handed huge injury blow as Ronald Araujo surgery decision made

Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo is set to undergo surgery on the hamstring injury he suffered with Uruguay at this summer's Copa America, reports have revealed.

The 25-year-old limped out of Uruguay's quarter-final victory over Brazil. Initial reports suggested he would need up to two months on the sidelines and would likely miss the start of the coming La Liga season.

However, SPORT were the first to reveal that surgery had become an option for Araujo after further tests confirmed the precise location of his hamstring tear. Matteo Moretto and Fabrizio Romano later confirmed that the decision had been made to send him under the knife.

Araujo is now expected to need at least four months on the sidelines and is facing a battle to return before the end of 2024.

The news represents an enormous blow to Barcelona, who now need to cope without one of their starting centre-backs for the first half of the new season.

Andreas Christensen and Pau Cubarsi are likely to start as Hansi Flick's preferred centre-back duo, although a decision must be made on Jules Kounde, a natural centre-back who spent last season out at right-back.

Eric Garcia has also returned after an impressive loan with Girona, while Inigo Martinez had been expected to leave and is not yet registered in the squad.

There had even been suggestions that Barcelona could look to cash in on Araujo this summer. The defender is undoubtedly one of their most valuable players and had been linked with the likes of Manchester United and Bayern Munich, although this injury blow will put an end to such speculation.

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