‘Why does he have to leave?’ – Hansi Flick responds to speculation over Barcelona star | OneFootball

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has responded to speculation linking vice-captain Ronald Araujo with a move away from the club. The Uruguayan defender lost his place in the side last season following surgery, and despite signing a new deal with the club until 2031, speculation over his future continues to persist.

The Blaugrana are desperate to seal at least one significant sale this year in order to ease pressure on their salary limit, as they again struggle to register players. It looked in January as if Araujo might be that player, following interest from Juventus

The plan shifted to trying to sell Andreas Christensen, but with the Danish defender determined to see out his contract, recently it has been floated in the Catalan press that Barcelona would be open to offers for Araujo again.

Hansi Flick responds to Araujo future

Ahead of Barcelona’s second preseason friendly with FC Seoul, Hansi Flick spoke to the media in South Korea, and was asked about the future of Araujo. The question was met with a non-plussed response from the German.

“Araujo? Why should he leave? There are many rumours about many names, but I have no news or indication that he wants to leave. I have a great team, with a lot of quality, we have doubled all the positions, in some positions we even have three players. It’s not easy to manage, of course, but I’m happy.”

Ronald Araujo stance on Barcelona future

Publicly at least, Araujo has always been adamant that his first choice is to continue at the club he joined as a teenager. The last time he addressed the matter publicly, Araujo explained that if the choice his, he will remain at Barcelona.

Image via RTVE

Barcelona defensive options

Barcelona currently have five senior central defenders, not including Jules Kounde. Araujo is competing against Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez and Andreas Christensen for a starting spot, while it looks as if Eric Garcia will be used most often as a makeshift right-back, backing up Jules Kounde.