Real Madrid, Atletico wanted to sign Barcelona defender before his move to Camp Nou

Ronald Araujo has firmly established himself as one of the most in-form defenders in Europe currently, following a series of stunning displays for Barcelona.

The 23-year-old Uruguayan international has left behind the injury issue that sidelined him towards the backend of 2022 and has been key to the Blaugrana building an 11-point lead at the top of the La Liga table, with assured performances one after the other.

Signed from Uruguayan club Boston River in 2018, Araujo initially spent time with Barcelona’s reserves before making his debut in October 2019 under Ernesto Valverde.

The centre-half cemented his position as a regular under Ronald Koeman and has since not looked back, firmly establishing himself as a pivotal part of the team under Xavi Hernandez.

However, things could have turned out quite differently for Araujo as Barcelona’s arch-rivals, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, were also interested in signing him in 2018, before he arrived at Camp Nou.

This claim comes from Mundo Deportivo who state that both the Spanish capital clubs wanted the Uruguayan international before he arrived in Catalonia.

Araujo joined the club in a deal worth an initial fee of €1.7 million, which would rise to €5.2 million including variables.

Having beaten their rivals to his signing, Barcelona are reaping the rewards of Araujo’s development and growth. The 23-year-old is just a couple of matches away from reaching the 100-appearance landmark for the Blaugrana.

Seen as a leader of the defence, Araujo signed a new contract with the club last year, extending his stay until the summer of 2026. The defender revealed in a recent interview that he had turned down bigger offers in order to renew with the Catalan giants.

Barcelona are yet to register his new contract, but the club and the player’s camp are calm over the situation, with the plan being to take care of the registration by July 1.