Barcelona preparing for major summer rebuild
Barcelona is planning to approach the transfer window with some crucial exits and is expecting to sign players for key positions, including striker, left winger, and center back roles, so the exit of some key players will be necessary to fund these moves. Here’s a detailed look at the arguments surrounding Araújo’s future and what the best decision could be for the club moving forward.
Flick no longer sees Araújo as untouchable
Araujo featured in 22 matches this season, majorly as a substitute for Cubarsi in the right center back role or instead of Kounde as right back, but failed to make a big impact on the team; that’s why Flick is not picking the player as a starter. Araujo got a golden chance in the second leg quarterfinal against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, but he failed to perform there also.
Big-match performances raise serious concerns
Araujo delivered some important performances and goals in the recent season, but when it comes to big stages, the player is not reliable and error-prone. The player’s defensive awareness during high-intensity situations is not up to the mark recently, even though the player is aerially strong, but in ground duels, he is not shining like Eric Garcia or Cubarsi.
High salary becoming difficult to justify
The Uruguayan center back earns €12.5 million as per the capology , and his current contract, signed in Jan 2025, extends until June 30, 2031, and can reach up to €16–17.5 million per year, including bonuses, which is an extremely high salary for a backup player.
Barcelona must decide whether to keep or sell
The Barcelona team already has Koundé, Cubarsí, and Eric García, who could handle the right center back role, and except for Cubarsí, everyone can play the right back role also, so our take is that it would be better to sell Araujo if an offer above €40 million arrives from any club, but convincing the player to leave is also a task for Barcelona.
