Barcelona president wants to renew key centre-back for life; on-loan star expects to stay next season
In what can be construed as Barcelona’s first attempt to promote the club’s newly launched OTT service platform, Barça One, the club have released Origins: Ronald Araujo as the first exclusive.
The documentary series will portray Araujo’s humble beginnings and his eventual rise to superstardom.
Speaking at the launch event, Barcelona president Joan Laporta looked quite energetic and even vouched for Ronald Araujo to stay at Camp Nou throughout his life.
Laporta on Araujo’s future
As the central figure of the documentary, Araujo was naturally the hot topic at the launch event. He had no shortage of attention from the media, which made sure to ask for an update on his future at Camp Nou.
Laporta was one of the figures, who was asked about the future of Uruguayan international at Barça. The club president, however, offered a rather energetic response, stating (h/t Fabrizio Romano), “I’d give Ronald Araújo a lifetime contract here at Barcelona!”.
Laporta’s comments underline the importance of Araujo within the Barcelona setup. The Catalans, after all, knocked back each and every attempt from Bayern in January and are likely to do so again in the coming summer.
Barcelona see Araujo not only as a leader but also as a key part of the defensive setup. The club, therefore, are ready battle it out, in their bid to keep hold of the player in the coming summer and beyond.
Cancelo hoping to stay at Barcelona
Another player whose future at Barcelona was in focus during the premiere was Joao Cancelo.
The Portuguese international’s loan contract expires at the end of the season. When asked whether or not he would remain at Camp Nou beyond the summer, Cancelo affirmed, “Yes, yes! I do.”
Cancelo’s comments confirm Barcelona’s ongoing efforts to permanently nail down the services of the Portuguese international The club have already held talks with Jorge Mendes, who is working on the operation.
Although negotiations with Man City will be difficult, there are certain factors that do favour Barcelona, including Cancelo’s desire to stay at Camp Nou, which was evident in his comment during the premiere.
