According to Relevo, which cited anonymous sources, FC Barcelona has warned two big first team stars … [+]
According to Relevo, which cited anonymous sources, FC Barcelona has warned two big first team stars that they will be placed on the transfer market if they don’t renew their current contracts before June 30, 2025.
Having a deal that runs out on said date is a predicament that a trio of Barca stars including Inigo Martinez, Wojciech Szczesny and Gerard Martin find themselves in.
Yet the threat doesn’t apply to any of them, and is instead aimed at Frenkie de Jong and Ronald Araujo, who are tied down for another 18 months or so until mid-2026.
Barca wants a long-term commitment from each man, whose cases are of course different.
Regarding Araujo, the club wants to give the Uruguayan a well-deserved pay rise for his patience through a financial crisis which pushed it to the brink of bankruptcy at the turn of the decade.
The Catalans are reportedly “highly optimistic” he will put pen to paper amid interest from the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester United.
Previously out injured since a Copa American campaign with his country this summer, where La Celeste reached the semifinals in the United States-held tournament, Araujo has only just returned to Barca squad lists.
He must now prove to his head coach Hansi Flick that he deserves to picked ahead of either Pau Cubarsi or Inigo Martinez to partner one of those defenders in the heart of the back line, while re-establishing himself as one of the best in the world at his trade.
As for De Jong, he is way down the pecking order to the likes of Marc Casado and Pedri in midfield, but Barca wants him to renew to restructure his terms and spread out backdated pay from the pandemic.
Radio Catalunya reported there are fears De Jong is purposely running down his contract to leave on a free, and put himself in line to receive a handsome signing bonus with his next club, as calls to negotiate with his camp have thus far fallen on deaf ears.
Above all, the objective would be to get both men secured in fresh arrangements before June 30, 2025 as past that date, prospective buyers have the upper hand in offering cut fees for players that would be free in under a year.
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