Barcelona eyes German duo as Frenkie de Jong & Ronald Araujo replacements.
Barcelona eyes German duo as Frenkie de Jong & Ronald Araujo replacements. FC Barcelona are said to be interested in bringing in the duo of Joshua Kimmich and Jonathan Tah, as they eye replacements for Frenkie de Jong and Ronald Araujo.
De Jong and Araujo’s contracts in Catalonia club expire in summer of 2026, but neither is said to be close to agreeing fresh terms.
As such, Barcelona are reluctant to run the risk of losing them for free in two years, and could look to sell them at the end of this season.
Mundo Deportivo report that the voids potentially left by De Jong and Araujo could be filled by Germany pair Kimmich and Tah.
Kimmich’s future at Bayern Munich is undecided with his deal up in 2025, while Tah has already stressed he will leave Bayer Leverkusen on a free transfer when his contract runs out in little under 12 months.
Barcelona are attracted to the experience that Kimmich and Tah, who turn 30 and 29 respectively in February, would bring to a squad full of young players. Kimmich also played under new Barca head coach Hansi Flick at Bayern.
Though Araujo and De Jong are both vice-captains and a prominent part of Barcelona’s leadership group within the dressing room, the club remain unaware of their future plans and so are getting ready in case they need to be sold.
Araujo was linked with a Barcelona exit over the summer, though club president Joan Laporta helped convince the defender to stay. De Jong, meanwhile, has been more settled since Barca held talks with Manchester United over his sale back in 2022 when Erik ten Hag was appointed as the Red Devils’ manager.
