Barcelona Renew Star Defender's Contract Through 2031 After Transfer Speculation | OneFootball

Barcelona defender and club vice captain, Ronald Araújo, reached an agreement to extend the Uruguay international's contract for six more seasons, tying him to the club until 2031.

Rumors began spreading about a possible exit earlier in the transfer window to Serie A or the Premier League. After Hansi Flick publicly expressed his desire for the 25-year-old center back to stay, the saga finally had a happy ending for the Catalan club, with Araújo putting pen to paper on a new deal, with an exit clause north of $1 billion.

The rise in form this season from Íñigo Martínez, plus the continued emergence of Pau Cubarsí, threatened Araújo's minutes once he recovered from a hamstring injury suffered in the 2024 Copa América. The injury kept him out of action for the first half of the season, making his debut on Jan. 4, 230 days after his last Barça appearance. Now, with Martínez nursing an injury of his own, Araújo has started Barcelona's last four games partnering Cubarsí in the heart of defense.

Araujo arrived in Barcelona in 2018 to play with the junior side. He made his first team debut in 2019 and was fully integrated to the first team for the 2020-21 season. He has 155 caps for Barcelona, scoring eight goals and winning La Liga, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup. This season, he was selected second captain of the club, only behind Frenkie de Jong.

Besides Araújo, the Catalans also extended the contract of academy graduate Gerard Martín. The left back's contract was due to end this summer, but he'll now remain at the club until 2028.

Barcelona and Araújo will be back in action on Sunday, looking to recover ground in La Liga when they host second-to-last in the standings, Valencia, at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.