Barcelona defender’s demands made clear as contract talks continue

Barcelona have scheduled a fresh meeting with the camp of defensive mainstay Ronald Araujo as talks over a new deal for the centre-back continue, reports Mundo Deportivo.

The 23-year-old will be entering the final year of his current contract with Barcelona at the end of the season. And, talks over a new deal have been held but they have not proven fruitful as of yet, with the two parties some way apart in negotiations.

It has led to concerns over the future of Araujo, who is attracting serious interest from several Premier League clubs such as Manchester United and Arsenal. The English teams would be in a position to hand the Uruguayan international a much better contract than Barça, adding to the worries.

However, the aforementioned report states that Araujo’s single focus is to continue at Camp Nou, where he has become an integral part of the team under Xavi Hernandez.

Indeed, the former Boston River star has made such a huge impression over the course of the campaign and has established himself as one of the best young defenders in La Liga. And, he has no intentions of securing an exit and is keen on continuing his progression with Barcelona.

So, while he has much more lucrative contract offers from England, Araujo is not thinking about an exit. At the same time, he is also not expecting Barça to match those offers either.

The Uruguayan international’s only demand, as per the report, is that he is handed a deal that reflects his status and importance within the squad after his contributions this season.

However, Barcelona, for their part, remain insistent that they cannot offer big contracts as the club continues to be in a precarious situation financially. Despite that, there is a positive feeling heading into the next meeting with Araujo’s camp that an agreement can be finalised.

Club president Joan Laporta insisted that talks were on the right track and with Araujo keen on continuing at Camp Nou, an extension could be agreed shortly.