Araujo signs new Barcelona contract with €1 BILLION release clause

FT Desk

• 26 Apr 2022 12:48 BST
• 3 min read

Ronald Araujo has signed a new contract at Barcelona until 2026, with a buyout clause inserted into his deal worth a staggering €1 billion.

Barcelona announced the news on Tuesday afternoon, putting to an end months of doubts over whether the central defender will extend his deal or leave this summer.

Araujo will publicly sign the new contract this Friday at 1330 CET on the Camp Nou pitch, with president Joan Laporta present.

Araujo’s new deal expires on June 30, 2026 and there is a release clause in his contract of €1bn.

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The 23-year-old Uruguay international has established himself as a regular at Camp Nou over the past 18 months, featuring on 78 occasions for the first team since arriving from Boston River in 2020.

Araujo’s future at Barcelona had been in serious doubt as his contract was due to expire in 2023.

Contract negotiations were not initially going well, with Araujo said to be unhappy that Barcelona had offered the centre back just €3m per year.

The stopper made it clear that he desired parity with fellow young stars Pedri, Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres.

Barcelona also said during negotiations that if a new contract with Araujo was not agreed by the summer that they would sell him to the highest bidder in order to avoid a repeat of the situation we saw with Ousmane Dembele this year.

A number of top European clubs lined up Araujo, including Man Utd, Chelsea and PSG.

However, Araujo will now be staying at Barcelona after signing a new deal with a release clause that will scare off any team.

Barcelona will now turn their attentions to renewing the contract of fellow young star Gavi, whose own deal runs out in 2023.

The Blaugrana had been reborn in 2022 under new coach Xavi, although their form has dipped in recent weeks.

They have already been busy on the transfer market this year. They signed Ferran, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Adama Traore and Dani Alves for January and have already clinched the Bosman Transfers of Milan’s Franck Kessie and Chelsea’s Andreas Christensen ahead of next season.