Barcelona’s gem defender asks for salary raise to stay at the club

Ronald Araujo has enjoyed a tremendous rise in stature at Barcelona over the past year.

The Uruguayan, who has been at the club since 2018, has not only grown into a regular at the heart of the defence but has become the best defender for the Catalans.

The 22-year-old has made 58 appearances for Barça, scoring four goals in the process as well. An ever-present when fit and available, the young centre-back has been tipped to become the future leader of the Blaugrana defence based on his impressive displays so far.

However, for that to happen, Barcelona first need to secure his future at the club. Araujo’s current contract with the club runs out in eighteen months’ time. Given his growing importance, naturally, the Catalan giants have already open talks over a new deal, according to SPORT.

But, the report goes on to state that the five-time capped Uruguayan international has made certain demands with regard to his pay for him to sign a new contract.

As things stand, Araujo is one of the lowest-earning defenders at Camp Nou. The 22-year-old’s wages pale in comparison to the likes of Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti and Clement Lenglet, despite the latter two being out of favour.

In addition, the defender also pockets less than summer signing Eric Garcia, who himself joined on low wages due to the club’s financial situation. As a result, Araujo has asked the club to offer him a deal that reflects his current status as the best defender in the squad.

The former Boston River ace is already attracting interest from the Premier League, with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool keeping tabs on his contract situation. The English trio would undoubtedly be able to offer him much more lucrative contracts.

However, the report adds that Araujo is thankful to Barça for giving him an opportunity at this level and wants to continue at Camp Nou. But he wants the club to make a substantial contract offer in keeping with his stature in the new setup under Xavi Hernandez.