As Barcelona’s mainstay in defense, Ronald Araujo has become one of the centerpieces of the Blaugrana project.
The fact that he has been in custody of the captain’s armband in the past few games has been a testament to the Uruguayan’s rapid elevation in importance.
As such, rumors regarding a potential move to Bayern Munich, fuelled by the narrative that Thomas Tuchel held a phone call with Araujo in an attempt to persuade him, rang alarm bells in Catalonia.
However, now Tuchel himself has given his two cents on the matter to SkyDE, via Fabrizio Romano.
Tuchel does not reveal much
When asked if he had exchanged words on a phone call, the German manager chose to give a rather evasive answer by neither denying nor confirming the news, stating:
“I won’t comment on that in any direction. We only talk about our players”.
Sarcastically adding to his reply, he said:
“I also spoke to my mother on the phone and there were no reports of it!”,
Bayern Munich recently lost to a whopping score of 5-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt and thus formal attempts to sign Ronald Araujo, who is regarded as one of the best in his craft, barely would come across as a bolt from the blue.
Araujo committed to Barcelona
Even so, as much interest as he may garner, Araujo remains totally committed to Barcelona, as recent reports have already suggested.
Although Tuchel has given a rather cryptic response, the player’s entourage denied the news of a phone call.
Araujo’s €1 billion release clause, which Barcelona included in his contract to ward off any possible suitors, binds him down to the club until 2026, and the team hopes to see him stay for many more years.