Barcelona stalwart agrees to renew contract, new deal could be signed by weekend | OneFootball

The past 12-24 hours have been nothing short of a whirlwind at FC Barcelona.

Reports emerged on Tuesday afternoon that key defender Ronald Araujo had decided to leave the club despite the injury to Inigo Martinez which would mean increased game-time for him.

However, following a meeting with sporting director Deco on Tuesday night, it was confirmed earlier today that the Uruguayan international has performed a U-turn and is ready to stay put at the club.

With his contract expiring in the summer of 2026, it was even claimed that renewal talks between Barça and Araujo would progress as normal.

New deal could be signed soon

Now, there appears to have been more significant development as far as the situation related to Araujo and his contract is concerned.

Indeed, Jijantes FC reports that Araujo has already agreed to sign a new contract with the Blaugrana and his agents will arrive in the Catalan capital at the end of the week to sign the new deal.

Going nowhere. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

This is a huge step for the Blaugrana who have managed to turn around the situation in a brilliant way. From being one step away from losing their star defender and captain, Barcelona are now on the verge of securing his future with a new contract.

As reported earlier, the efforts made by sporting director Deco have played a key role in convincing Araujo to change his mind, along with the camaraderie and the support shown by other Barcelona stars.

One of the most important players for Barça in the past few seasons, the centre-back missed the first half of the current campaign due to an injury.

Having returned to action earlier this month, Araujo is now expected to get a run of games in the starting XI following the hamstring injury to Martinez. In fact, the 25-year-old is in line to start tonight in the Copa del Rey clash vs Real Betis.