Report in Italy claims Barcelona have agreed deal with Juventus for Ronald Araujo | OneFootball

The future of Ronald Araujo continues to look further and further from the Catalan capital, after a week of rumours about a move from Juventus. The Uruguayan defender has been in talks with Barcelona over a new deal, with his current contract up in 2026, but has not made much progress.

That means Barcelona will look to sell either this summer or indeed this January, with Juventus banking on the latter. La Vecchia Signora reportedly have the green light from Araujo to make a move, and La Repubblica (via Sport) are now reporting that Juventus have reached a deal with Barcelona to make the move happen, on a loan with an obligation to buy in the summer.

https://twiter.com/barcacentre/status/1877246397746942026

This has been disputed by local press in Barcelona, with Gerard Romero of Jijantes confirming talks with Juventus, but denying any agreement. Other clubs have also reportedly enquired about his availability. Sport go on to say that Manchester United are one of those sides to have enquired, but also that Araujo’s camp deny that an agreement has been struck.

At one point it looked as if Eric Garcia might be on his way out in January, but the Blaugrana will only contemplate the departure of one of him, Araujo or Andreas Christensen this season, although all three are potential departures in the summer. In Araujo’s case, the prospective arrival of Jonathan Tah is one of the reasons Barcelona are willing to do business.

Recent reports have also suggested Arsenal could make a move for Araujo, and the Premier League is believed to be his preferred destination if he is to leave Barcelona. The fact that they have made no progress over a new contract, yet have marked the summer as a sale date means striking a deal now potentially makes sense for Barcelona, if they do not feel they can get a fresh one with Araujo done.