Surprise! From Juventus to Barça, Joan Laporta Requests a Swap for Ronald Araújo

It seems like Groundhog Summer, but in 2025, one of the main focuses of effort for the Barça sports management will be strengthening the pivot. They already tried in the previous summer window, with Joan Laporta even publicly confessing that it was the top priority. However, the economic situation made it impossible for Barça to pursue their desire and Hansi Flick had to stick with what he already had.

The truth is that, although at first no one could suspect it, the German coach found his great reinforcement in La Masia. Marc Casadó, along with Marc Bernal, emerged almost out of nowhere and became Barça's undisputed '5'. Suddenly, the need to sign a midfielder took a back seat and was put on stand by. But it never fell into oblivion.

Meanwhile, Deco and his team have been monitoring all these months how the situation of some players in that position evolved, who could fit into the Barça doctrine. Especially considering that Frenkie de Jong's future remains an enigma. And now, as reported by colleagues from FC Barcelona Noticias, the option of Weston McKennie might be considered.

Weston McKennie, the Bargain of the Market

The current situation of the American midfielder gives rise to suspicion that he could leave Juventus at an almost negligible price considering his skill. His contractual relationship with the Vecchia Signora expires in 2026 and Weston McKennie is not very clear if he wants to extend his stay in Turin. The transalpine entity insists on renewing him, but the player, for now, is not very inclined.

Although he would still have one more year of contract, if Weston McKennie decided not to renew, Juve would be forced to sell him this summer to avoid letting him leave for free next year. In his contract, there is no release clause and his current market value, according to Transfermarkt, is around 24 million euros. However, his presence and his work on the field suggest that this amount is quite lower than what Juve would like to obtain for his departure.

We could categorize him, then, as one of those undervalued players who don't have massive media coverage but perform perfectly every weekend. It has been difficult for him, in fact, to settle in the bianconeri's starting eleven, but since 2023 no one can move him from the midfield. He arrived in Turin in the summer of 2020 after breaking out with Schalke in the COVID season.

He spent his first two years on loan, but since 2023 he has been indispensable in northern Italy. And the good thing about Weston McKennie is that he can occupy practically all positions in the central area and perform equally well in all of them. His greatest specialty, however, is starting from the pivot. And although he is impregnable in defensive tasks, we can perfectly label him as a box-to-box midfielder.

It is quite common to see Weston McKennie approaching the opponent's area and, in fact, this season he already has 5 goals and 3 assists in 28 matches. Not bad for a '5'. Thus, for his talent and his price, it seems like a very interesting operation for Barça. And in case negotiations become arduous, Barça could even use the card of Ronald Araújo, for whom Juve has already shown strong interest.