Both midfielder Gavi and centre-back Ronald Araujo have rejected Barcelona’s latest offers of new contracts, with the club growing increasingly concerned by the situation.
The young duo, seen as stars of both the present and the future, are out of contract in 2023 but have made it clear that they want to stay at Camp Nou, and they have given Barcelona several chances to offer suitable contracts already.
In the case of Araujo, the Uruguayan believes he is one of the team’s most important players – a claim backed up by the numbers – and he wants the salary that comes with that status. He is prepared to drop slightly to help smooth things over, but Marca note that a resolution still seems a long way away.
Both players have now been offered new contracts on three different occasions, with Barcelona’s proposed salary starting incredibly low and getting progressively higher as talks have dragged on, but as of yet, neither player has accepted.
The pair’s agents have been unimpressed with the offers, which have come at a time in which Barcelona have struck deals to sign players in both their positions – Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen.
Gavi and Araujo do not want to accept lower salaries if Barcelona are handing bigger contracts to their new signings, especially with so many clubs across Europe registering their interest.
For Araujo, Manchester United and Chelsea have both been credited with lucrative interest in the centre-back, while Gavi has attracted speculative links to Liverpool, although the young midfielder has rejected talks with any other side as his priority is to remain at Barcelona.
While this report states that Barcelona are optimistic about re-signing both, Catalunya Radio claim that there are major worries about Araujo, whose demands are seen as extortionate.
The belief is that, currently, Barcelona have no plans to increase their offer to Araujo and a summer sale could be on the cards.
Source: 90min.com
