Official, Deco Drops the Bombshell! Opens the Doors to Ronald Araújo, He's Leaving: 'If You...'

Deco has filled Barça fans with happiness with his latest moves. The sporting director of FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta's right-hand man since his arrival at the Catalan club's board in the summer of 2023, has managed to build a very solid project. Despite economic limitations, the Portuguese has maximized the available resources and scored several successes, such as the signing of Flick.

One of his latest decisions has been the renewal of Ronald Araújo. The Uruguayan center-back, who had an offer from Juventus to leave Barça in January, has already signed his new contract. Deco has managed to retain the Uruguayan until 2031, but there's a catch: his release clause has dropped from 1 billion to just 65, sparking many rumors about his future.

Deco Faces the Media and Reveals the Truth About Ronald Araújo

A few hours ago, Deco gave an extensive interview to TV3 in which he talked about Ronald Araújo and other topics of interest. Specifically, he reviewed the club's intentions when it comes to making new signings and also made it very clear that Lamine Yamal is untouchable.

Regarding potential signings, Deco stated that not too many reinforcements are necessary and compared Barça's situation to Manchester City's. "City has spent more than 200 million this winter. We can't afford that, but we also don't need to bring in four or five players, we've already surpassed that phase," he concluded.

Regarding Lamine, Deco was even more emphatic: "There are key players, and Lamine is one of them. There's no discussion about his future, there's no price, there's no issue, we don't receive offers for him because they know we wouldn't even talk." However, his words about Ronald Araújo are not even comparable.

Specifically, Deco explained that "We've talked, and he's happy, but if in the future, for whatever reason, there's a need to change, he has the open door to tell us and he will change." A statement that puts Ronald Araújo against the ropes. He has just renewed, but even the sporting director of FC Barcelona doesn't close the exit door for him.

Ronald Araújo Has 2 Offers and Deco Knows It

In such a scenario, Juventus and Arsenal are rubbing their hands. Both teams have already contacted Ronald Araújo's camp and will do so again in the summer. Deco's words only confirm that his release clause is an open invitation: 65 million is a more than affordable price.

We'll see what happens, but it's clear that the rumors about Ronald Araújo are going to multiply after Deco's statements. It's true that he has renewed until 2031, but if he asks to leave, the club won't object. We'll see what happens in the summer.