Barcelona struggle to tie down Gavi and Araujo

Barcelona have encountered a problem in their attempts to tie down Gavi and Ronald Araujo to respective new contracts, according to Sport.

Both players are set to run out of contract in the summer of 2023, and given that they’ve established themselves as important parts of the team rebuild project under Xavi Hernandez, the club are obviously keen to secure their services for years to come.

However, both the 17-year-old midfielder and the 23-year-old centre-back apparently have lucrative options to continue their developments elsewhere, paths carved out by their agents, and if Barcelona do not match those offers, they could soon leave the Camp Nou. Meanwhile, the message from the club is – if the two youngsters want to stay put, they’ll stay put under Barca’s terms and no other way.

Reports elsewhere have claimed that Gavi is being extensively scouted by Liverpool, while Manchester United see Araujo as a promising player for the future.