Serie A giant weighing up €25-30m offer to test Barcelona resolve

Barcelona were swift to pay the release clause of Joan Garcia from Espanyol, and if reports are to be believed, have convinced Nico Williams to join the club this summer. However what is not yet clear are the consequences of paying those two release clauses, which total €73m between them.

Despite President Joan Laporta’s protests, La Liga counterpart Javier Tebas has assured that in order to register Williams, Barcelona will need to sell players. The general feeling is that sales are required to do so, and looming over Director of Football Deco is a potential big-money sale for players they would rather keep.

One of the names frequently mentioned is Ronald Araujo. The Uruguayan was unhappy with his contract situation, and Juventus tried to capitalise with a low-ball offer in the January transfer window. Nevertheless, a week or two later, Araujo penned a new deal until 2031, although in the opening stages of July, his release clause drops to €65-70m, depending on the report.

As per Sport, the Bianconeri remain interested in Araujo, and are willing to offer €25-30m for the 26-year-old defender.

It seems unlikely that Barcelona would be willing to accept that even if the bid did arrive, and they were desperate to register Williams. Director of Football Deco has declared Araujo one of the best defenders in the world on his day, and he too has assured that he will be staying at the club.

One of the uncertainties over Araujo was how he would respond to slipping out of Hansi Flick’s starting XI. However he seems to have assimilated that fact, and appears up for the challenge of trying to win his place back. There was a current of thought that sitting on the bench could open the door to an exit this summer, but both Araujo and Deco have done their best to play down that idea.