Ronald Araujo explains why he stayed at Barcelona despite interest from European clubs

Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has opened up on his decision to stay with the club despite massive interest from other European clubs. He was expected to leave Barcelona this winter during the transfer window. Instead, he opted to stay in Catalonia extending his contract with the La Blaugrana.

Araujo has been with Barcelona since the 2019-20 season and has had 144 appearances across competitions. He has been the club's top defender and scored seven goals while assisting in five. The 25-year-old had joined Barcelona from Boston River for a reported 4.7 million Euro fee and has been growing as a professional since then.

Coming back to his decision to stay with the La Liga giants, Araujo stated he felt the love and affection from the fans who asked him not to leave the club. He is happy to take the field for his current team and loves that the fans are still shouting his name.

“I feel very grateful for all these years, I always noticed the affection. People on the street told me to stay and that was something tremendous, just like in the stadium when they shout, it infects you. 

“I'm happy because it means that the work is being done well and I hope that many joys come. I am happy and I hope that these are great years and that they come with titles, which is the most important thing,” Araujo said in a recent interview with 90min.

Ronald Araujo rejected interest from Arsenal and Juventus

For the unversed, Araujo will remain with Barcelona until the summer of 2031 after extending his contract with the Catalan giants. Reportedly, he rejected interest from Arsenal and Juventus, both top clubs in their respective football leagues, to remain with the La Liga giants.

Meanwhile, Araujo will next be in action during Barcelona’s clash against Valencia in La Liga on January 27 at 1:30 AM IST. They are in third place at the moment in the tournament with 39 points after 20 matches with 12 wins, three draws, and five losses.