Deco insists Barcelona captain happy at club after renewal, but leaves door open for future exit

Ronald Araujo spent most of the ongoing season on the sidelines, unavailable after going under the blade for a hamstring injury.

With Inigo Martinez and Pau Cubarsi having established themselves as regular starters by the time he returned, the defender began contemplating an exit during the Spanish Super Cup but eventually signed a renewal with Barcelona.

While he is now contractually bound to the institution for the foreseeable future, his new deal sees an affordable release clause at the request of Araujo to keep the option of a departure open should he face a scarcity for minutes.

An update on Araujo

Speaking to the media earlier this week, Barcelona’s sporting director Deco provided an update on Ronald Araujo’s contract renewal that was finalised last month.

He began by stressing that the player renewed with the club only because he was happy representing the Blaugrana crest, throwing off any theories of his dissatisfaction.

“You can’t keep a player who is not happy because he will end up being a problem for the team. There are times when you may not play and it is difficult to deal with that,” he began when asked about the Uruguayan’s renewal.

“We spoke to him and he was happy,” he reiterated on Araujo’s situation.

When asked about a potential departure for the defender in the future, the club administrator said,

“If he needs to change in the future, the door is open for him to tell us.”

Finally, he spoke on how the player’s decision to sign a renewal in itself was confirmatory of his desire to stay.

“I don’t think that’s what he wants, otherwise he wouldn’t have renewed his contract. I think he’ll stay for many years,” he added.

Source: 3cat