Barcelona’s 21-year-old defender on the radars of Eredivisie giants, club open to exit

Barcelona have decided to escalate the player exits in order to lighten the team before they start their pre-season for the 2023-24 campaign and one player who is on the verge of facing the axe is Julian Araujo.

The 21-year-old, who joined Barcelona in February this year, is yet to make his debut for the senior team and SPORT has indicated that the Blaugrana are now looking for a way out for him.

In this regard, the aforementioned outlet claims that Eredivisie giants Feyenoord are very much interested in his acquisition.

The current Dutch champions are extensively hunting for a right-back and they have identified three players, namely Joshua Brenet of FC Twente, Hugo Siquet of Standard Liege, and Barcelona’s Araujo.

They understand that given the performances of Brenet and Siquet last season, they would require significant financial backing, but this is not the case with Araujo.

Given that his transfer was not ratified by FIFA due to delays in filing paperwork, Araujo did not play a single competitive game in the second half of the season, although his call-ups to the Mexican national team have been frequent.

Now, what gives Feyenoord the edge in this deal is the presence of Santiago Gimenez on the roster. The Mexican forward spent a fantastic season with Feyenoord last term and it would not be a surprise if Araujo decides to join him in Eredivisie.

The reports that Feyenoord have received about Araujo are good and there are high chances that Barcelona will sanction the sale if the price is right. 

Right now, Xavi is looking for a suitable right-back and Araujo is not a frontrunner for the spot. Even if he is, it will take a significant amount of time for him to settle into the first team.

This is why the team from Catalonia have established contacts with Ivan Fresneda. Right now, if Barcelona decide to reinforce the right-back spot, Fresneda will get all the preference.