Barcelona set deadline for contract talks with Frenkie de Jong and Ronald Araujo | OneFootball

Barcelona have a number of star players out of contract in 2026, and Sporting Director Deco has the unenviable task of locking them down for the future. While there have been plenty of positive noises about the renewals of Gavi and Pedri, that has not been the case for Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong.

While the former seems more open to renewing his deal with the Blaugrana, Sport say that both are open to signing new contracts. President Joan Laporta has met with de Jong, and told him that they see him as part of their future, and do not just ant to renew him to lower his salary – one of the highest in the squad.

Equally, Laporta has spoken to Araujo, and after fearing an exit last summer, they now see a new deal for the Uruguayan as viable. Pedri and Gavi are expected to renew, and the only other major piece in the air is Andreas Christensen. If they can sign Jonathan Tah, Christensen’s exit seems much more likely.

However the Blaugrana will not allow Araujo or de Jong into the final year of their contracts if they can help it. Barcelona have set a deadline for the end of the season for them to sign on the dotted line, with more negotiations on the horizon.

Barcelona will presumably try to sell Araujo and de Jong if they cannot get a deal done. Of course the difference in demands is a major factor in this equation, and it remains to be seen if they can reach a compromise. Recently, it has seemed very much as if Barcelona are open to selling de Jong next summer.