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After missing the first half of the season through injury, FC Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo finally made his first appearance of 2024/25 last weekend in the Copa del Rey clash against UD Barbastro.
Araujo suffered a serious injury during the summer of last year while with the Uruguayan team in the Copa América.
After undergoing surgery, the defender had to be out for more than four months and, although he returned to training in the final stretch of 2024, Barça did not rush with him.
Araujo’s return is a huge boost, but also raises a question for Hansi Flick, who has relied on Pau Cubarsi and Íñigo Martínez as his first-choice centre-backs this season.
Juventus wants Ronald Araujo
In the midst of all this, the Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Juventus are interested in signing Ronald Araujo on loan in the current January transfer window.
He bianconeros They are on the hunt for a new centre-back in the current window due to injuries to some key players and have identified Araujo as an option along with the likes of David Hancko and Kevin Danso.
Given that Araujo hasn’t played much this season and Flick has an established centre-back pairing with Cubarsi and Martínez, Juventus’ idea is to try to attract the Uruguayan international on loan for the rest of the season with the promise of regular minutes.
For this reason, Juve’s sporting director, Cristiano Giuntoli, is trying to understand the viability of an operation of this type in the current transfer market.
However, the report mentions that as things stand, Barcelona have no plans to let Araujo go.
After all, Flick considers him a key part of his plans and had this to say after the defender made his first appearance of the season on Sunday:
“Araujo has returned after a serious injury. He was able to play 90 minutes and his level has been seen. “He has spoken on the field, he is one of our captains.”
However, it should be noted that Araujo’s contract with Barcelona expires in 2026 and while the renewal is being negotiated, as confirmed by the player himself, failure to reach an agreement could lead the club to consider selling him in the summer.
*Player rating on title obtained from transfermarkt.com on publication date
