Barcelona are reportedly set to complete the capture of Ronald Araujo, who is currently a part of Uruguayan side Boston River.
Spanish publication Sport are speculating that Barcelona set to complete one more transfer before deadline day. Ronald Araujo, who currently plies his trade for Boston River, is reportedly on his way to Spain. The player is expected to complete his move to Barcelona by Friday.
Ronald Araujo is expected to complete his move within the coming hours, with the two clubs agreeing a €5 million fee for the player. Araujo though, will be a part of Barcelona B to start off and will aim to help Garcia Pimienta’s side and their ambition to gain promotion back into La Liga B.
Araujo received his footballing education at Huracan de Rivera before joining CA Rentistas. The defender progressed through the ranks and broke into the first-team at Rentistas before being snapped up by Boston River in the summer of 2017. Since then, the youngster has managed 31 senior appearances for the club, including 4 in the Copa Sudamericana.
The 19-year-old is a towering figure at the back and is currently the captain of the Uruguayan Under-20 National Team. And it is his similarity in terms of potential and presence to his compatriots Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez that has seen him attract Barcelona.
Official ☑️ [FCB] | FC Barcelona and the Uruguayan Boston River have reached an agreement for the transfer of the player Ronald Araujo to Barça, who signs for the next five seasons. The cost of the transfer is a fixed of 1.7 million euros and some variables till max of €5.2M. pic.twitter.com/wL9eq0EfkW
— BarcaTimes (@BarcaTimes) August 30, 2018
The Catalan giants have signed Clement Lenglet from Sevilla to beef up their central defensive options. But, Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti are all Ernesto Valverde has at his disposal, especially with Thomas Vermaelen always prone to injuries. Marlon Santos and Yerry Mina’s departures have thinned the options at centre-back for the club.
While Araujo will not be much of an option to consider for the first-team from the get-go, Barcelona might be snapping him up seeing the potential that the Uruguayan Under-20 captain possesses. Also, if a defensive crisis does arise during the season, Barcelona can call Araujo up from the B side to help out.
The 19-year-old can prove himself while developing his skills in Spain playing for Barcelona B. And, as is evidenced by the rise of certain stars, Araujo can cement a place for himself in the first-team, if he shines on a consistent basis for the B side.
Araujo will have to compete with the likes of Jorge Cuenca, Santiago Bueno, Chumi and Oscar Mingueza for a regular spot in the starting eleven for Garcia Pimienta’s side. It will be interesting to see if he can grab a spot beside Santiago Bueno and create a solid pairing with his compatriot.
