Barcelona have begun planning for the upcoming season as they look to bounce back from a season that has already marked a major disappointment in February. Compounded by the announcement of Xavi Hernandez's departure, the summer will undoubtedly be interesting.
Recent reports say that Barcelona have already planned to move at least five players in the summer, and aim to bring at least two quality options. However, the number of sales could increase based on two pending contract situations.
Ronald Araujo is out of contract in 2026, and while he has publicly stated his desire to stay in Catalonia, he is the subject of much interest from Bayern Munich. Reports out of Spain say he is happy to move to Bayern, and that it was only Xavi's intervention that prevented the move in January. Barcelona will try to renew his deal, but Sport they say if he can't have a new contract agreed, then the Director Sporting Deco will try to move on.
The same goes for Frenkie de Jong. After the Dutchman dug in his heels as Barcelona tried to force him into a move to Manchester United in 2022, it seemed that the two sides had made peace, especially after de Jong performed excellently during their win of the title last season.
However, with de Jong's salary set to rise again due to the postponement of the contract agreed with former president Josep Maria Bartomeu – rumored to be 37 million euros per year – Deco offered him a renewal to extend his contract, and put his salary in line with the rest. of the team.
He too is out of contract in 2026, and the Catalan newspaper say the coming weeks will be crucial as Deco tries to negotiate a new deal with de Jong. So far he has shown little interest in discussing a reduced deal, and if he does not renew, then it will open an internal debate about his future again – Deco wants to make a deal before the end of the season.
Given de Jong's gargantuan salary, Deco no doubt wants to know how much they are going to pay him, or whether to buy him. Both will have a major impact on Barcelona's summer plans, and even if he renews, Deco needs to know how much money he has to work with to go into the transfer market. The power is with De Jong however, as he showed two seasons ago, and there is little incentive for him to accept a reduced deal.
