Anyone would think that after FC Barcelona’s great season, it would be a quiet summer with little movement, but everything points to the contrary. The Azulgrana team is planning a summer of XXL moves in which sales and departures are just as important, if not more so given the economic situation, as signings. Although in some cases, such as Araújo and the search for a left winger, the two may go hand in hand.
Barça looking for a left winger
If one thing is clear at FC Barcelona, it is that, after the signing of Joan García, the only priority in terms of new signings is to secure a left winger. This is nothing new. Barça has been looking for a reinforcement for this attacking position for several seasons. They are looking for a man capable of opening up the game, with speed, dribbling ability, and the ability to get past players. Last summer, the Nico Williams deal was on the table until the very last minute. Hansi Flick made it very clear that the signing needed to be completed in his last press conference of the season: “In recent games, we haven’t had many options for these positions. Looking at players is Deco’s job, but I will help him,” he said.
Leao is once again an option
In recent months, other names have emerged, but problems with fair play and the rise of names such as Luis Díaz and Nico Williams have left options by the wayside, as seemed to be the case with Rafael Leao. Laporta has always believed that Leão could offer greater consistency and continuity at Can Barça. Signing the player, who scored 15 goals and provided 14 assists last season and has already scored 12 goals and provided 13 assists this season, could now be a possibility again.
The problem for Barça with regard to signing the player was the money, as the deal could run up to €75-80 million, an amount that is unaffordable for the Catalan club. However, there are now reports from Italy of an option that would make the player’s signing viable. Various sources suggest that Massimiliano Allegri wants to sign Ronal Araújo and that Milan would be willing to sign the player by offering Barça a swap deal for Rafael Leao, which would reduce the cost of both operations.
Araújo’s future up in the air
Initially, the club had no intention of letting Ronal Araújo go, and he even had the backing of coach Hansi Flick. “Of course, one hundred percent. I’m confident he’ll be here. It’s been a difficult season with the injury, but he’s been able to come back,“ he argued, emphasizing once again that ”Cubarsí and Iñigo have played very well, it hasn’t been easy to join the group, but I have a lot of confidence in him for the preseason.”
However, Christensen’s refusal to leave, as well as his lower market value, coupled with the club’s financial needs, could open the door for the Uruguayan, who finds himself in a curious situation with his clause. Araújo signed a new contract this year at the insistence of the club, which saw him as a potential target for Juventus and needed him due to Iñigo Martínez’s injury. In that new agreement, there was a special condition in his clause. For the first ten days of the month, the termination clause, worth 1 billion, drops to 65 million. In other words, in 15 days, the player will have an affordable price that would make him an attractive option on the market for many teams.