FC Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo might consider leaving the club for Bayern Munich this summer, reported Mundo Deportivo on Saturday.
Initially facing challenges adapting to European football, the Uruguayan diligently improved his game, earning recognition as one of the world's top defenders and a potential future captain for the La Liga champions.
Reports linking the Uruguayan to Bayern emerged in recent days with head coach Thomas Tuchel expressing admiration for Araujo's abilities and reportedly reaching out to convince him to join the Bavarians, according to BILD.
Initially reported to be content in Catalonia and not considering a move to the Bundesliga, Araujo, who joined Barcelona in 2018 for a €5 million fee, is now said to be assessing his options as the season progresses.
While currently happy with things the way they are, Mundo Deportivo suggested that Araujo will wait to see how things unfold at the Blaugrana for the remainder of the season before potentially deciding on his future for the 2024/2025 season.
Barcelona is currently competing for four trophies and could secure the Spanish Super Cup if they advance past Osasuna and then one of either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid in the final.
However, in the league, they trail Real Madrid and Girona by seven points, and they must overcome Napoli to progress in the UEFA Champions League (UCL).
Munich is reportedly willing to pay over $76.7 million (€70 million) for Araujo, but it may take an offer of around $109.4 million (€100 million) for Joan Laporta to consider selling the defender.
Barcelona might also leverage the interest in Araujo to request the inclusion of Joshua Kimmich, who head coach Xavi Hernandez wants, in the deal.
Despite financial difficulties, it seems unlikely that Barcelona would want to part ways with Araujo, considering him near irreplaceable, with no affordable like-for-like alternatives available on the market for Xavi's team.
