‘Not on the market’… Barcelona reject first approach from Juventus for club captain | OneFootball

The last few weeks for FC Barcelona have been nothing short of hectic and quite demanding. Both on the field and away from it, the club has been tasked with taking on big challenges. However, it is a combination of both such difficulties that has made these times rather complicated for Barcelona right now.

The registration issue concerning both Dani Olmo and Pau Victor perhaps comes first, given the kind of effort it has involved. Ultimately, Barcelona managed to get that issue resolved temporarily, although other sides in La Liga seem to hold a rather different kind of opinion about that development.

However, another dilemma that has recently popped up is the potential exit of Ronald Araujo. The Uruguayan defender has always been seen as a cornerstone of the Barcelona project and has even been named as one of the captains of the team led by Hansi Flick.

Yet, recent reports have continuously linked him to Serie A side Juventus and other clubs as well. However, the most recent update that arrives from Mundo Deportivo reports that Barcelona has already rejected the first attempt made by the Italian side to acquire the services of the Uruguayan defender.

What is perhaps even more interesting, however, is the response that allegedly comes from the Catalan club itself to the interested party:

“He’s not on the market.”

For now, Barcelona seem to have no intentions at all of letting Araujo go just yet, as per MD. Instead, they point towards the fact that he is a key player who simply cannot be let go of midway through the season unless a significant offer worth €70 million or more arrives and makes the club reconsider.

With Barcelona already having qualified for the Spanish Super Cup final after beating Athletic Club, the priority right now is to focus on the season at hand. It is still uncertain if the club is going to bring in reinforcements in January, so the least that Hansi Flick can expect is for him to get to keep his own players for now.

A departure for Araujo, even if it does happen ultimately, will likely have to wait until the summer. For now, Barcelona will try to keep him at the club for at least the second half of the season and their reaction to the initial offer is telling enough it would seem.