Barcelona announced in an official statement that it renewed the contract of defender Ronald Araujo for a period of 5 years, to remain with the Catalan club until June 2031, after a sudden shift in negotiations.

Araujo (25 years old), whose contract expired in 2026 and returned from a long injury weeks ago, seemed on his way to the Italian Juventus at the beginning of the current Mercato.

The injury of defender Iñigo Martinez in the Spanish Super Clasico in Saudi Arabia prompted Joan Laporta’s management to decide to renew the Uruguay defender on a long-term contract.

Araujo returned to coach Hansi Flick's starting lineup in the last matches, raising his tally to 155 matches for Barcelona in the 6 years since his promotion from the youth team.

Araujo is Barcelona's second captain after goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and will reach 32 years old when the contract term is completed.