Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo looked as if he was moving closer and closer to the exit door as the season wound down, but as things stand, he is neither moving towards or away from it.
After the Uruguayan was contacted by Bayern Munich in January, and further links to Manchester United, it looked as if he would be the sacrificial star, as the Blaugrana try to settle up their balance sheets. A reported asking price of €80-100m was acknowledged by multiple reports as enough to extract him from the club.
Yet Matteo Moretto has confirmed to Football España that Vincent Kompany’s arrival at Bayern, Araujo is no longer in their plans for the summer transfer window. The alternative of Manchester United is a long way from certain too, albeit the Premier League remains his most likely destination now.
Barcelona will want to tie Araujo down to a new deal this summer or sell him, but contract talks have been going nowhere fast for the past six months. It leaves Araujo at something of a crossroads, in wait to see if United or another Premier League side do move for him. Currently, his future in Barcelona is in doubt, but his exit is unclear too.