FC Barcelona’s search for the ‘new Ronald Araujo’ has led them to an ex-Juventus defender now impressing at Genoa, according to SPORT.
At a time when they were spending bonuses on Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho, who were paid just $150 million or more at the start of the decade, the Catalans won gold in Uruguay.
It was there that they found an unknown prospect named Ronald Araujo at Boston River, agreeing to pay the Montevideo outfit $1.8 million (€1.7 million) plus $5.4 million (€5 million) more in variables.
Along with Pedri, to whom Barca paid a paltry sum to Las Palmas a year later in 2019, Araujo proved to be one of the bargains of the century.
A former striker who moved to defence late in his life, he is now one of the defenders in the world.
Barca, of course, were plunged into the worst economic crisis in their proud 124-year history by spending too much on the two players mentioned above and others, before the pandemic and their lack of source of income nearly wiped them out.
The chain of occasions forced them to change their policy and echo that of Real Madrid.
Now humble where they once made marquee signings every summer, and sometimes in the winter too in Coutinho’s case, they now prefer to buy talent young before it has become the unaffordable, final product fully aware that they cannot compete with the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain at the negotiation table.
This change of direction has already seen them land striker Vitor Roque while reaching out to the ‘new [Lionel] Messi’ in Claudio Echeverri.
According to SPORT, Barca seem to be looking for a new defender and a ‘new Araujo’, which has led to Radu Dragusin.
A graduate of Juventus’ academy in 2020, the Romanian did not settle for the Old Lady and bought permanently through Genoa earlier this year.