Barcelona have confirmed that they have reached an agreement with Ronald Araujo on a new long-term contract with the club.
Araujo’s future has been the subject of uncertainty for some time, with the Uruguayan having been heavily linked with Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Manchester United in recent years and his current contract expiring in the summer of 2026.
The versatile defender was also potentially a salable asset at a time when Barcelona were desperate for cash injections. But with the club now coming off several years of financial problems, Araujo’s value on the pitch is greater than his value on the market.
The new contract has a term of six years and runs until the end of the 2030/31 season. If he makes it, Araujo will end up having been a Barcelona player for more than a decade.
The player joined Barcelona in 2018 from little-known Uruguayan club Boston River, initially joining the Atlétic squad and becoming a first-team regular a few years later.
In 2023, Araujo became third captain and was promoted to vice-captain last summer when overall captain Sergi Roberto left the club.
A serious thigh injury sustained during the Copa America, which required surgery at a specialist clinic in Finland, ruled Araujo out for the first half of the season. But he made his comeback against Barbastro in the Copa del Rey, wearing the armband in the absence of Marc-Andre ter Stegen and has since started four competitions against Real Madrid, Real Betis, Getafe and Benfica.