Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo His agent was close to reaching a new long-term contract agreement with the club on Tuesday.
Araujo’s deal expires in 2023 and ESPN reported last month the whole thing Manchester United and Liverpool was interested in signing Uruguay International.
Barca’s previous offer to Araujo was worth around 5 million euros a year, with sources saying the amount offered by Premier League sides was worth almost twice that.
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However, Barca have now raised their offer, with the player’s agent, Flavio Perchman, revealing a deal has ended following a meeting with sporting director Mateu Alemany on Tuesday.
“It’s almost there,” Perchman told reporters. “There is desire on both sides [to finalise the renewal] and Ronald wants to stay at the club. “
Araujo, 23, has been on a similar contract at Barca since 2018, when he first joined the “B team” from Boston River in his hometown in an initial €2 million deal.
That makes him one of the lowest-paid players on the first team to join the current campaign, with his agents wanting his salary to rise alongside his standing in the football field. club.
Under manager Xavi Hernandez, he has emerged as a key player this season, making 34 appearances in all competitions and scoring four goals, including a recent 4-0 win. Clasico win Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.
However, with Barca having to abide by LaLiga’s strict financial rules due to their financial problems, they played hard during negotiations with Araujo’s camp.
At the same time as they have been negotiating with Araujo, Barcelona are also negotiating the signing Andreas Christensen and even met Antonio Rudigeragent last week.
ESPN previously reported that Christensen would join the club from Chelsea on a free transfer in the summer, but a move for Rudiger is unlikely.
The public nature of those negotiations forced the club to make an offer to Araujo, who were willing to accept a lower deal to stay with the LaLiga side.
Araujo, Gerard Pique and Eric Garcia was Barca’s first choice of centre-back under Xavi, with Christensen set to compete with them from the summer onwards.
Clement LengletOscar Mingueza and Samuel Umtitimeanwhile, may leave in the summer due to lack of game time.
