Barcelona concerned over star following Inter defeat – future uncertain | OneFootball

Barcelona were eliminated from the Champions League semi-final in dramatic fashion against Inter, with the Italians scoring in stoppage time and then extra time to win out 7-6 on aggregate. Amongst plenty of lamenting on Barcelona’s part, the fingers of blame also began swinging shortly after the final whistle.

In terms of individuals, central defender Ronald Araujo was the player that was called out most in the aftermath. The Uruguayan defender came on with just 12 minutes to go, but was found lacking in both of Inter’s goals while he was on the pitch. During Francesco Acerbi’s equaliser, Araujo could not get in the way of the 37-year-old central defender, while Marcus Thuram turned away from easily on the edge of the box to set up the winner.

Concern over Ronald Araujo performances

As per Sport, there is concern over his performances this season. While he has never been brilliant on the ball, Araujo has always stood out for his defensive prowess – until this season. In two Clasicos, Araujo did well against Los Blancos, in both cases off the bench, but outside of that, he has been a consistent source of mistakes when played.

The Catalan paper note that the dressing room did not take long to recall Araujo’s sending off last year in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain, and caused Ilkay Gundogan to publicly criticise him. That was resolved, but the feeling at the club is that his level of performance has declined significantly this year, something backed up by Diario AS, who say that the other central defenders suit the style of play better.

Bayern Munich and Juventus interest

Image via HAITHAM AL-SHUKAIRI / AFP via Getty Images

Araujo was poised to leave in January, requesting a move to Juventus, who bid €35m. That was deemed insufficient by Barcelona, who handed him a contract renewal until 2031, but with the promise they would discuss his future in the summer. He now has a €65m release clause in the first 15 days of the transfer market, and Sport say both Juventus and Bayern Munich remain interested. He has also been linked to Manchester United again more recently.

Meanwhile AS note that some at the club regard Araujo’s renewal as ‘artificial’, and he remains a player Barcelona will consider selling. Flick is still relying on him, knowing that he has no other defender of his qualities, but the club are less certain on how to approach his future.