Could Barcelona sell Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde this summer?

Not so long ago both Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde would’ve been two of the first names on Xavi’s team sheet for Barcelona.

Decent in the air, quick across the ground and with a reasonable shot on them too, the pair were real assets for the club.

However, over the past few months their form has got steadily worse to the point where they’ve been found wanting on a regular basis, no matter the opposition.

Both were awful again at various moments in the match against Girona, and at least two of the goals that were conceded can be blamed on their lack of defensive nous.

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At a time when the club could really do with the money, the right-back and centre-back could earn Barca a pretty penny.

It will still be a brave move from Xavi to want to cash in, however, perhaps a serious overhaul of the defence is just what the doctor ordered.

It does seem that some players have got comfortable under the former midfielder and by sanctioning moves for two of the bigger names in the squad, it sends a message out to everyone else.

Joao Cancelo could potentially cover Kounde’s absence of course, however, there are serious question marks over his future at the club too.

He’s no better than Kounde in certain aspects and a lot worse in others, so there’s a reasonable argument to be made that he can be sent back from whence he came.

Of course, losing three-quarters of his current first-choice back four this summer would present Xavi and the board with a conundrum, but they only need look at the goals conceded column to understand that change does need to happen.

Thirteen goals have been conceded in the last four games in all competitions alone, and their 43 conceded in La Liga is the worst record of the entire top eight teams in the division.

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Moreover, it’s just one short of exactly double the amount that Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid have let in during 2023/24.

Xavi professes to wanting to bring silverware back to the club, but that’s the gap that he needs to try and bridge within 12 months.

Ask yourself this… with the current defensive set-up at the club, do you expect that to happen? We all know what the answer is.

We’re not quite at the ‘desperate times call for desperate measures’ stage, but it is worth Xavi and his staff considering all options ahead of the summer transfer window.

Something has to change.