Barcelona’s Asian preseason tour continues as noise surrounding the squad and possible departures permeates through the air.
Ronald Araújo is one of the names that’s been heavily scrutinized in recent weeks. Plenty of rumors have linked the Urguay international with a possible exit. Hansi Flick spoke on the situation during his press conference ahead of Barcelona’s second preseason game.
“Why should he leave?” Flick said about Araújo. “There are a lot of rumors, but at the moment I have no signal from him or from any other player. I think we have a really good team, I think the quality in the team now is really good.”
The German manager doesn’t seem too interested in parting ways with the 26-year-old center back. Only hours after making those comments, Araújo started in the heart of defense alongside Pau Cubarsí in Barcelona’s 7–3 victory over FC Seoul.
The strength of Barcelona’s squad was on full display, but also the depth in every position—something the team struggled with in the climax of the 2024–25 season.
“Every position we have double, or in some positions we have three players. It’s really good. Of course not easy to manage all this, but we want this because it’s going to be a tough season,” Flick added.
Araújo was far from his best form in his 25 appearances a season ago and enters the 2025–26 term without a guaranteed starting role. Still, his physicality and speed are superior to Cubarsí’s and Iñigo Martínez’s, offering Flick a different profile at the position. Should he find his best form, he could thrive in Barcelona’s high defensive line.
Regardless of Flick’s comments, speculation will continue regarding possible marquee outgoings this summer given the team’s need for a financial boost. With plenty of players in the squad capable of playing in the heart of defense, it wouldn’t be shocking to see a center back leave in the next month.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Hansi Flick Offers Insight on Ronald Araujo’s Barcelona Future .
