Despite President Joan Laporta declaring that Barcelona do not need to sell star players this summer, it appears they may have to if they want to bring any in. With the Blaugrana looking to sign a left winger – Nico Williams has been most frequently linked – and a midfielder, they could be relying on a major outgoing to fund those deals.
According to Sport, Barcelona are coming round to the idea of selling one of Ronald Araujo or Raphinha this summer. Barcelona are not willing to increase their contract offer for the Uruguayan, and he seems to be holding out for more, while the Catalan side suspect he has an offer from Manchester United on the table. They would attempt to sell him for upwards of €75m, some way down from the initial fees of €100m that were spoken about.
If the Blaugrana do not manage to secure the sale of Ronald Araújo this summer, then they would open the door to a departure for Jules Koundé. @DBR8
🗣️ Who would you prefer to keep, #Culers? pic.twitter.com/AbF4v1HCdT
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) July 2, 2024
If Araujo does not exit, then they will look to force out Raphinha. He has not hired an agent to replace his now Sporting Director Deco, and has been adamant that he is not leaving. So far Deco has also been reluctant to entertain the idea of a departure, but knowing that Raphinha could triple his salary, and Barcelona could make a large profit on him, it could be a deal that helps Barcelona to make the signings they want.
It should be noted that alternative sources say that Manchester United are not moving for Araujo currently, and it seems Bayern Munich’s interest in him has died down too. Ultimately, Deco would have to convince Raphinha of a move to the Middle East too, because the Brazilian holds the final word – his contract expires in 2027.
Barca already has to leftwingers in Felix and Fermin.
Defensive midfielder position is also covered with Casado, Romeu and Christensen.
Felix and Raphinha, and Fermin and Yamal complement Lewa in attack. Cubarsi and Araujo, and Christensen en Eric Garcia are the blaugrana defensive duo. While Cancelo, Fort and Kounde, Julian Araujo cover te wingback positions in defense.
The team is complete. Barca only needs more stamina, directness and intensity in their play. That’s why Hansi Flick was hired.