Barcelona unwilling to part ways with star man despite transfer rumors, consider him a high-quality player: Reports

Barcelona have no desire to offload Ronald Araujo this summer, according to Cadena SER. The Catalans are under financial distress and are yet to return to the LaLiga's 1:1 rule.

The Spanish champions are likely to turn to player sales to generate more revenue to address their monetory issues. Araujo's name has been doing the rounds as an option for the job.

The Uruguayan signed a new deal at Camp Nou until 2031 in January this year, but that has done little to curb speculation regarding his future. The player reportedly had a €65m release clause in his deal which was valid for the first two weeks of the summer.

Barcelona, however, don't want to part ways with him at the moment. The 26-year-old is behind Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez in the pecking order under Hansi Flick.

However, the Catalans consider him a high-quality defender, and are convinced that he has a big role to play next season. Club sporting director Deco also holds the player in high regard.

The LaLiga champions will only consider Ronald Araujo's departure if he asks to leave this summer. However, the player remains determined to fight for his place under Flick next season. Interestingly, with Martinez no longer young, Barcelona could also consider the Uruguayan as a long-term replacement for the Spanish defender.

Will Barcelona offload Marc Casado this summer?

Barcelona are not actively looking to offload Marc Casado this summer, according to journalist Santi Ovalle. The Spanish midfielder remains heavily linked with a move away from Camp Nou at the moment.

Casado lost prominence under Hansi Flick last season following Frenkie de Jong's return to full fitness. The Catalans' midfield remains a crowded position at the moment, with Pedro, Gavi, Marc Bernal, and Dani Olmo also in the mix.

The situation has added to uncertainties surrounding Casado's continuity with the LaLiga champions. The 21-year-old is highly rated in the European circuit and as such, isn't short of options at the moment.

However, Barcelona are not looking to push him away from the club right now. While Hansi Flick acknowledges that he is spoilt for choice in midfield, the German manager believed it will help the club in a long and demanding season.

The Catalans will only consider Casado's departure if the player asks to leave Camp Nou. Interestingly, the Spaniard could be tempted to pursue greener pastures this summer to secure regular game time.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over seven years at Sportskeeda. He has written more than 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 20 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

Know More

Edited by Deepungsu Pandit