Ronald Araújo close to completing Barcelona move
Araújo is a right-sided central defender, captain of Uruguay's Under-20s who is set to join Barcelona's B team for 5 million euros from Boston River.
Barcelona's search for a right-sided centre-back for the reserves could finally be at an end. In Uruguay, it's taken as given that Ronald Araújo will complete his move to Camp Nou in an operation totalling 5 million dollars.
Araújo - a promise for the future
Araújo is 19 years old and captain of Uruguay's Under-20s. He spent last season at Boston River and will join Barça to be part of the the B team squad, which this season is playing in the third tier, the Segunda División B.
Barcelona's pursuit of the Uruguayan central defender comes after the club couldn't reach an agreement with Boca Juniors for Leonardo Balerdi. On Tuesday, the Blaugranas put in a similar offer to the one they tabled for Araújo - 5.5 million dollars, an offer which Boca didn't consider good enough. Barcelona's original idea was to sign the player, leave him at Boca on loan for a year then bring him to Spain where he would alternate between playing for the reserves and the first team.
In the end, they appear to have settled on Araújo, a player who Ramón Planes has been following for some times with the idea of training him up in the B team.