Juventus weighing up January loan move for €55 million-rated Barcelona heavyweight | OneFootball

After missing the first half of the season through injury, FC Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo finally made his first appearance of 2024/25 this past weekend in the Copa del Rey clash against UD Barbastro.

Araujo suffered a serious injury during the summer of last year while he was away with the Uruguayan national team at Copa America.

Having had to undergo surgery, the defender had to spend more than four months out on the sidelines and even though he was back in training in the final stages of 2024, Barça did not rush things with him.

Araujo’s return comes as a big boost but also poses a question for Hansi Flick, who has relied on Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez as his first-choice centre-backs this season.

Juventus want Ronald Araujo

Amidst all this, Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Juventus are interested in signing Ronald Araujo on a loan deal in the ongoing January transfer window.

The Bianconeri 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 others like David Hancko and Kevin Danso.

Araujo finally returned to action this past weekend. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

With Araujo not having played much this season and Flick having a settled centre-back pairing in Cubarsi and Martinez, Juventus’ idea is to try and lure the Uruguayan international on loan for the remainder of the season with the promise of regular minutes.

As such, Juve’s sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli is trying to understand the feasibility of such an operation in the ongoing transfer window.

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 said the following 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 you have seen his level. He has spoken on the pitch, he is one of our captains.”

However, it must be noted that Araujo’s contract with Barcelona expires in 2026 and while renewal talks are underway, as confirmed by the player himself, failure to reach an agreement could lead to the club considering his sale in the summer.

*Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication