"Unlikely" - Fabrizio Romano says Barcelona will not make move for Chelsea defender after new Ronald Araujo update

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano believes Barcelona are "unlikely" to pursue the signing of Chelsea centre-back Antonio Rudiger. Romano's claim comes after he confirmed that the Blaugrana are close to extending the contract of young defender Ronald Araujo via Twitter.

He tweeted on April 5:

"Ronald Araújo will sign his new contract with Barcelona very soon as today talks were more than positive. In the final meeting only length of the contract will be discussed - it’s likely gonna be until June 2026. No doubt, Araújo’s gonna stay as he always wanted."

The Italian followed up that update with his most recent tweet about links between Rudiger and the Catalan giants. Romano reported that Araujo's contract extension and the arrival of Andreas Christensen next summer could put an end to the Blaugrana's pursuit of Rudiger. He tweeted:

"Barcelona have not made an official bid for Toni Rudiger, just direct contacts with his agents - it's now considered unlikely as Christensen will sign for Barça and Araújo will extend his contract, 100%."

Romano also mentioned in his tweet that a release clause has been added to Araujo's contract, though he didn't specify what it was. He wrote:

"Ronald Araújo new deal is already sealed, release clause included."

The Italian had confirmed in March that Barcelona had closed deals for Chelsea's Christensen and AC Milan's Franck Kessie, also via Twitter. Romano wrote:

"Barça president Laporta confirms: 'We've completed two signings for the next season: one is a midfielder, the other one is a centre-back. But I'm not allowed to mention their names.' Of course, Franck Kessié and Andreas Christensen deals are both fully agreed."

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Antonio Rudiger likely to leave Chelsea this summer

While Barcelona may no longer be interested in Rudiger, the centre-back still looks set to depart Chelsea this summer as a free agent.

The German was linked with Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid earlier this year, as per Sports Illustrated. However, recent reports from The Sun suggest that Rudiger has agreed a deal with Juventus while Manchester United are also interested in him.

Overall, the 29-year-old has played 192 matches across all competitions for Chelsea since joining the club in 2017. In that time, Rudiger has won the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

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Ronald Araujo has been excellent for Barcelona under Xavi Hernandez

The Blaugrana, meanwhile, will be extremely pleased to have tied down Araujo to a new contract. He is one of their leaders in defense and has played a key role in the club's upturn in fortunes under Xavi Hernandez. They are currently unbeaten in 13 matches in all competitions.

Araujo has been deployed at both right-back and centre-back this season and has excelled in both positions. He has also scored four goals this term, with one apiece against Sevilla, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.

The Uruguayan has made 34 appearances across competitions for the Catalans this season.