Juventus looking to sign €55m Barcelona defender on loan with mandatory purchase option | OneFootball

Since his arrival at FC Barcelona, Hansi Flick has found his ideal starting eleven, and the German coach has rarely aberrated from this preferred formula halfway into the season.

One can argue that the defense has seen the highest degree of change, as Pau Cubarsí and Iñigo Martínez have formed the center of the backline and are two players who have played almost every possible game up to now.

With these two players established as clear starters for Flick and the possible arrival of another centre-back, Jonathan Tah in the summer, the futures of some other defenders at the Catalan club might be at risk. This is even the case for a player as important as Ronald Araújo, who was previously considered to be a cornerstone for the Blaugrana team’s current and future projects.

The Uruguayan defender’s situation is also not helped by his uncertain contractual situation, as he left his future open to speculation with some of his latest comments where he hinted at a lack of a renewal agreement with Barcelona at this point in time.

In such a context, other top European teams are considering their moves to sign the defender, and according to SPORT, one such team that is interested in the Uruguayan center-back is Juventus.

The Italians are looking to sign the Barcelona captain on loan with a mandatory purchase option. However, such a proposal would not interest the Blaugranes for now.

Following the injuries to Gleison Bremer and Juan Cabal and the decision to terminate Danilo’s contract, the Juventus Sporting Director, Cristiano Giuntoli, is concentrating his efforts on strengthening his team’s backline, and Ronald Araújo is a clear target for him.

The formula with which the Italians are looking to sign Araújo may not be attractive for Barcelona in the short term, but their offer of permanently purchasing the defender for his market price of €55 million might appeal to the Catalans, especially if they fail to reach a contract renewal agreement with him, as his current deal expires in 2026.

However, it still remains to be seen whether Araújo himself is open to such a move, as he also attracts the attention of other big European sides like Manchester United and Bayern Munich.