Barcelona consider selling defender this summer after Hansi Flick demotion decision | OneFootball

Barcelona are set for a busy summer, but in order to make their desired signings, they will need to move unfavoured players on. The likes of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Inaki Pena and Marc Casado have been identified as leading candidates to depart, and joining them could be current club captain Ronald Araujo.

The last 12 months have been very difficult for Araujo. He took a mental health break between November and January after enduring a difficult personal moment, and although things have improved for him in this regard, his situation at Barcelona is a concerning one. He does not feature prominently in Hansi Flick’s plans for next season – to the point that he has actually dropped down to fifth-choice centre-back, behind Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen.

On the back of this, Sport have reported that Barcelona will considering offers for Araujo this summer. They have not decided to transfer-list him for now, but they will study any proposal that come in from other clubs.

Should he perform well at the ongoing 2026 World Cup, bids could start coming in for Araujo, especially when clubs know that he’s facing a difficult moment in his Barcelona career. Any sale would be welcome for the Catalans, given that the funds raised would go towards plans to sign a world class striker – at this stage, they’re still going for Julian Alvarez.

Araujo wants to stay at Barcelona

Photo by George Wood/Getty Images

The problem that Barcelona may encounter is that Araujo currently has no desire to leave. He firmly believes that he can work his way back in Flick’s starting line-up during the 2026-27 season, which is why he does not see an exit as necessary.

However, this could change if Flick makes it clear to Araujo that he only sees him as a backup. If this happens, the Uruguayan defender may decide that a move away would be the best thing for his stagnating career.