Barcelona braced for PAINFUL transfer - Fabrizio Romano

Tom Weber

Updated: 10 Jan 2025 20:47 GMT
3 min read

Barcelona are braced for formal negotiations with Juventus over Ronald Araujo, according to Fabrizio Romano.

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The Uruguay international has only recently returned from a long-term injury, but his time under new Barcelona boss Hansi Flick could be over swiftly.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Juventus had begun seriously working on a deal to bring Araujo to Turin, with the Serie A giants desperately scrambling to add defenders to their squad.

Former captain Danilo has been bluntly told by coach Thiago Motta that he is no longer part of the project, while Gleison Bremer and Juan Cabal have suffered season-ending injuries, leaving the Old Lady short of options.

Just a year ago, Araujo was being linked with a €100 million transfer to Bayern Munich and Man Utd, but now he could be moving to Serie A for a fee likely well below that erstwhile price tag.

Juventus step up Araujo pursuit

According to Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona have been aware of Juventus' interest since last week, and the Bianconeri are now ready to take their pursuit of Araujo into the next gear.

The Italian transfer insider reports that Juventus will enter formal talks with their Catalan counterparts after the latter's Supercup clash with Real Madrid on Sunday.

Italian media reported on Tuesday that the 25-year-old has already given the green light to a potential move to Juventus, though it is not yet entirely clear how the deal will be structured.

Juventus, Romano reports, are looking to secure a permanent move or a loan with an obligation to purchase Araujo rather than just a straight loan or one with an option to buy.

Losing Araujo would be painful for Barcelona on a sporting level as he is arguably their best defender, but financial exigencies mean that the Blaugrana hierarchy can't really turn its nose up at opportunities to generate significant funds and free up salary space.