Ronald Araujo rubbishes reports of Barcelona exit
- Araujo has been heavily linked with a move away from Barcelona this summer
- Centre-back remains a key player but reports suggest he could be sold to raise money
- Bayern Munich & Man Utd touted as potential suitors
By Tom Gott
Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo has insisted he remains happy at the club, rubbishing reports he could leave this summer.
While Araujo remains a key player for Barcelona, it has been suggested that he could be sold this summer to raise a significant sum of money, with the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester United tipped to make bids for the Uruguay international.
However, Araujo has moved to put the speculation to bed, stressing his happiness with life at Barcelona.
"There has been a lot of talk about this, but I’m happy at Barcelona," he told La Quinta Tribuna.
"Besides, we have to finish the season well because there are still challenges ahead, including the Copa America with Uruguay."
Fuelling the fire of a potential exit is the fact that Araujo's current contract is due to expire in 2026 and Barcelona will likely be unable to rival the sort of wages he would be offered elsewhere.
Club president Joan Laporta, who previously admitted he would tie Araujo down to a lifetime contract if possible, recently acknowledged there had been some obstacles in talks with the centre-back's representatives but insisted all the issues had now been addressed.
"Araujo is very complete," Laporta told Mundo Deportivo. "What happens is that sometimes communication does go where it has to. I am referring to negotiations.
"And there, I think this has been solved already because there was some distortion when it came to communicating everything we had in mind for Ronald."
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