The two returning Barcelona stars who have ‘serious options’ to stay for next season | OneFootball

A fresh insight into the ongoing squad planning at La Liga giants Barcelona for next season has today been forthcoming online.

The info comes courtesy of Diario AS, and points towards two players to have spent last season out on loan as being in with a real shot of staying put in Catalunya’s capital.

The pair in question? Eric García, and Julián Araujo.

Defensive pair Eric and Araujo spent the 2023/24 campaign in La Liga, with Girona and Las Palmas respectively.

And both went on to enjoy productive stints with their loan clubs, the former in particular having established himself as one of Spanish football’s standout defenders.

And such exploits, it would appear, could yet prove enough to secure for Eric and Araujo respective places in the squad of new Barcelona boss Hansi Flick.

As per AS, of all of the players to have spent the recently-completed season on loan away from the Blaugrana, ‘only Eric Garcia and Julián Araujo have serious options to stay’.

The former would battle it out for a starting berth at centre-half, whilst Araujo would likely act as backup to João Cancelo at right-back, allowing Jules Koundé to slide back into his preferred role at the heart of defence.

Conor Laird | GSFN