Real Madrid are reportedly closely monitoring the situation of Ronald Araujo and are hoping he runs down his contract with Barcelona.
According to claims on Radio Kanal Barcelona program Sin Concesiones, Ronald Araujo is the subject of interest from Real Madrid over a possible Bosman move in the summer transfer window next year. The Spanish giants hope that the Uruguayan defender turns down the chance of signing a new contract with Barcelona.
Ronald Araujo has been a part of Barcelona since August 2018, when he arrived from Boston River. The youngster was eased into the first-team setup by previous managers, but he quickly became a pivotal figure for Barcelona after being used regularly by Ronald Koeman.
The 22-year-old has made 61 appearances for Barcelona to date and has essentially been a first-choice centre-back for Xavi Hernandez. But the Catalan giants are in a spot of bother over the player’s long-term future, as he has entered the final 18 months of his contract. Araujo’s contract situation has captured the attention of Real Madrid.
Various reports have made contradicting claims about Real Madrid’s desire to sign a centre-back. While the Merengues are short of quality centre-backs beyond Eder Militao and David Alaba, there have been suggestions that Carlo Ancelotti is content with the central defensive options at his disposal.
But it is worth noting that Nacho is a backup option at best for Real Madrid. At the same time, Jesus Vallejo faces an uncertain future at the Santiago Bernabeu and could leave Real Madrid soon, with several La Liga clubs, including Valencia, keen on signing him.
If Vallejo were to leave this year, Real Madrid might have to invest in a centre-back in the summer, with Barcelona target Alessio Romagnoli among the players on their radar. But if they are prepared to wait till the summer transfer window of 2023, Real Madrid could attempt to sign Ronald Araujo in a Bosman move.
Florentino Perez is thus hoping that the 22-year-old runs down his contract with Barcelona before signing him for free. But Real Madrid will have to fend off strong competition to sign Araujo, with clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool and Bayern Munich already hot on his trail.
Having said that, in recent years, very few players have played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona, so this transfer might be unlikely even if Araujo becomes a free agent.
