Barcelona announce new long-term contract for Ronald Araujo

Barcelona have announced that Ronald Araujo has agreed a new contract at Camp Nou until June 2026.

The centre-back's future has been the subject of much speculation in recent months, with Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City all said to be keen to bring him to the Premier League.

Araujo's previous deal had been due to expire next summer, but Barcelona have announced that the Uruguay international has now agreed a fresh contract until the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

A statement on the Catalan club's official website revealed that the defender would officially put pen to paper on the agreement at Camp Nou on Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the buy-out clause in the deal, which is believed to have been agreed earlier this month after a new round of discussions, has been set at €1bn (£840m).

The 23-year-old has been a key player for Barcelona during the 2021-22 campaign, making 39 appearances in all competitions, contributing four goals in the process.

Araujo was thought to be facing a spell on the sidelines with the knee injury that he picked up against Real Sociedad last Thursday, but he played the full 90 minutes of the clash with Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.