Paris Saint Germain Reportedly Prepare $96 Million Offer For FC Barcelona Defender Ronald Araujo

Paris Saint Germain are reportedly preparing a monstrous €90mn ($96mn) bid to snatch Ronald Araujo away from FC Barcelona.

The Uruguayan was signed from Boston River in 2018 as part of a deal worth a total €5.2mn ($5.5mn).

In an era when Barca were shelling out premiums well exceeding €100mn ($106mn) for the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann, and Ousmane Dembele, the paltry fees they paid for Araujo and Pedri have proven the bargains of the century.

Both given a chance by former head coach Ronald Koeman in the first team, the pair are undisputed starters for the Dutchman’s successor Xavi Hernandez and are sorely missed whenever unavailable due to suspension or injury.

Barca have tried to tie down both men in long-term contracts with €1bn ($1.06bn) release clauses. While Pedri’s is a done deal, the club are experiencing difficulties registering Araujo’s fresh arrangement which should run until 2026.

According to El Nacional, Paris Saint Germain want to take advantage of the debacle and test Barca’s resolve with the mentioned €90mn ($96mn) bid.

Another important factor is that Barca need to make a big player sale in the summer given they have been warned by La Liga president Javier Tebas that €200mn ($212mn) must be shaved from the wage bill.

Should they let Araujo go, a good chunk of this amount would be spoken for but president Joan Laporta and his board would enrage the fan base with whom Araujo is a firm favorite talked up as a future captain.

After the Neymar saga in 2017, surrendering another generational talent to PSG would be a slap in the face to Barca and possibly set them back years as did the disbanding of the fabled ‘MSN’ trident the Brazilian formed with Luis Suarez and Neymar.

More likely is that Barca look to offload the likes of Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres and possibly Raphinha.

On the back line, however, Eric Garcia should be put up for sale before Laporta even remotely thinks about the money that could be brought in for a figure already widely thought of as one of the best defenders in the world in Araujo.