Barcelona outline €100m summer transfer plan

Cameron Smith

14 May 2024 19:00 BST
3 min read

Frenkie de Jong, Ronald Araujo, Barcelona, 2023/24 — © IMAGO

Barcelona want to sign Joshua Kimmich and Nico Williams this summer, but they must generate around €100 million through player sales first.

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The Blaugrana have well-documented financial issues and the Spanish giants are reliant on offloading at least one big-name player during the upcoming summer transfer window.

Uruguay international Ronald Araujo is currently deemed the most likely to leave, amid interest from Manchester United, although there is little indication that Barcelona will receive a bid in the region of their €100m asking price.

According to Spanish publication SPORT, Barcelona must generate around €100m in sales before Euro 2024 kicks off. If they fail to reach this number, then their ability to add reinforcements will be severely impacted.

The Blaugrana want to sign Kimmich and Williams as they pursue a new defensive midfielder and a new winger, but neither player is likely to arrive unless Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, Robert Lewandowski or Raphinha are sold.

They have reportedly been identified as Barcelona’s most sellable assets and at least one must depart before the European Championship kicks off, otherwise the Spanish giants will find it extremely difficult to add quality additions to their squad.

Ronald Araujo to Man Utd?

Man Utd’s pursuit of Araujo will please club legend Rio Ferdinand, who is a huge fan of the Uruguay international.

“The boy at Lens [Kevin Danso], there's one there, he's good,” the former defender recently told Manchester Evening News. “The Uruguayan boy at Barcelona - Araujo. Whether he's gettable or not, I think he's brilliant. He's an unreal centre-half.

“He has every attribute to be perfect for the Premier League. I'd probably say he's the standout, but whether he's gettable or not, I don't know.”

Although Ferdinand rates Araujo highly, Barcelona’s €100m asking price is currently far too high. The Blaugrana defender has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €43.5m, which has readily increased since he moved to Camp Nou in August 2018.