The current state of Barça's negotiations with Gavi and Araujo
The duo are out of contract in the summer of 2023 so need to sign on again
Gavi and Ronald Araujo are key players for Xavi Hernandez. They are important both for now and in the future for the club. Their deals expire in 2023 and Barcelona have not yet got them to sign new ones.
At Camp Nou, for the moment, they are calm. Barcelona know they won’t go berserk to keep them. They value the pair but will not drastically overpay in an auction. The club are clear: the deals they have offered will only be raised slightly. Neither will be given an eyewatering salary. There are some unchangeable parameters.
Barcelona’s economic situation is very delicate because of the problems with their large salary bill, driven up in the Josep Maria Bartomeu era and made unsustainable when revenue dropped because of the pandemic.
Laporta is clear that Barcelona cannot make the same mistake again. If they want to stay part of Xavi’s exciting project, Gavi and Araujo will have to prioritise the sporting aspect. Barcelona cannot reach the wages other sides would offer.
Mateu Alemany has offered to improving their deals in the way that they did with Ansu Fati, Pedri and Nico. Their posture was also reflected in selling Ilaix Moriba. He’s getting minutes at Valencia after not appearing much for Leipzig but at a lower level than he was.
Another thing in Barcelona’s favour is that Gavi and Ronald both want to stay at the club, but are just hoping for a bit more money. That’s where the issue is right now. Barcelona will only allow a small raise on the contracts they have put together.
