Barcelona optimistic about renewing La Masia duo on long-term deals

The optimism around the Barcelona camp regarding the renewals of Ronald Araujo and Gavi has never been any better, with a report from SPORT claiming that negotiations have now progressed to the advanced stage.

Unlike the condition before, Barcelona are now in a state of calm as there is no nervousness regarding the duo’s future. They are seemingly confident that it is only a matter of time before the players put pen to paper.

It’s been a rather hectic journey for Barcelona, to say the very least. Araujo, whose contract runs until June 2023, stalled the negotiations for a while at a time when it was reported that Manchester United and Chelsea were chasing his signature. On top of that, Barcelona’s troubling finances meant the team was unable to match his salary expectations.

The valuation quoted by the Uruguayan and his entourages was quite too large for Barcelona to accept. As the days passed, both parties made concessions to arrive on a middle ground.

Araujo signed for Barcelona in 2018 from Primera Division side Boston River for a fee reported to be around €1.7 million, plus €3.5 million in variables. The defender committed his future for five years – until 2023 – and a clause worth €100 million was added to his contract.

Back then, Araujo was initially signed for the reserve team, but it only took him a year to make his senior team debut. As quoted by the aforementioned source, his release clause was increased to €200 million when he was promoted to the first team.

As for Gavi, it is believed that talks with the midfielder are more in a more advanced stage than the defender. He prefers to stay in Barcelona, and his aim is to succeed with the Catalan club itself.

The 17-year-old, who has been with Barcelona since he was 11, signed his first professional contract with Barcelona in 2020 with a release clause of €50 million.

As part of the renewal, the midfielder is set to receive a premium of €2 million as the club understands the importance the player holds. His release clause will climb up to €1 billion, as well.

Both Araujo and Gavi have assured that they wish to remain in Barcelona, and even the club considers them to be the critical pieces of the project Xavi is building.