Barcelona Transfer News: Reports from the last year suggest that Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo turned down bids from both Liverpool and Manchester United
Barcelona Transfer News: Ronaldo Araujo reportedly got significant offers from Liverpool and Manchester United, according to the Spanish daily SPORT. But, the 23-year-old defender decided to extend his current deal with Barcelona.
Barcelona’s contract with the Uruguayan international was slated to expire in the summer of 2023. Nonetheless, he now has a contract extension until the summer of 2026. It seems that Liverpool and Manchester United presented far bigger contract offers than the Spanish club. Araujo, however, has opted to remain at Camp Nou to fulfill his ambition of winning major championships with Barcelona.
The 23-year-old is one of the top defenders in La Liga. He has already become an integral part of the Blaugrana’s team. The South American has every quality needed to become a top-tier football player. Nevertheless, the Catalan club will benefit greatly from his choice to devote his long-term career to Barcelona.
What’s the matter?
Having to say goodbye to a player of his calibre at the conclusion of the season would have been a major setback for Barcelona. The Spanish powerhouses are struggling financially as it is. So losing players of his quality for nothing would be devastating.
In the meanwhile, teams like Liverpool and Manchester United have glaring defensive needs. They wanted to sign Ronald Araujo, which comes as no surprise. The 23-year-old has the versatility to play both centre back and right back. The fact that he could switch gears so easily was a plus.
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Liverpool needs to replace players like Joel Matip and Joe Gomez with better options. The likes of Eric Bailly, Harry Maguire, and Victor Lindelof will need to be replaced at Manchester United. The Barcelona centre-back has been mentioned in connection to PSG in recent rumours.
Whether Liverpool and Manchester United will go shopping for a new defender in the offseason is an open question. Araujo, who is just 23, is hoping to lead Barcelona to the league championship this year. He’s anticipated growing into a leadership role for the club and is inspired by Barcelona great Carles Puyol, who he hopes to follow as he guides the Spanish giants to future success.
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